Grilled Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce and Herbed Smashed Potatoes

You know how you get an idea in your head about what you want to eat for dinner and, no matter what, you can not get it out.  This was my situation yesterday.  Ever since I first tried fresh dill in a rye bread bowl  with dill dip that someone's mother made on my prom night, it has been my favorite herb.  It is such a classic pairing with salmon and this lemon dill sauce provided me with the hit of dill I was looking for.  

I seasoned this salmon filet with salt and pepper and placed it on the grill over medium heat.  The salmon was topped with a pat of butter and a few slices of lemon.  I let the salmon cook for about 5 minutes with the skin side down being sure to watch for flame ups, particularly with the pat of butter I added and the natural oil from the fish.  After five minutes or so, I removed the lemon slices and placed them right on the grill and flipped the salmon over.  The salmon cooked for another 5 minutes with the skin side up and was then left to rest for a few minutes, topped with the grilled lemon slices until it was time to eat.  

The sauce was a very simple combination of sour cream, dijon mustard, minced garlic, chopped fresh dill, lemon zest and lemon juice.  If you are a fan of lemon dill sauce, I promise you, this does not disappoint!

I served the grilled salmon drizzled with the lemon dill sauce atop of fluffy pillow of herbed smashed potatoes.  I started by boiling red potatoes, skins on, for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.  After draining the potatoes, I returned them to the same pot I boiled them in and smashed together the potatoes, a good teaspoon or two of salt, fresh chopped parsley, chives and dill and about 1/4 cup of buttermilk.  The buttermilk gives the potatoes a delicious tang and paired with the fresh herbs, a fabulous alternative to plain old mashed potatoes.