by Billa
Some time during the pandemic, I began to see a slew of sheet-pan dinner recipes appearing in the NY Times and on various cooking sites online. I was attracted to them because here was a way to combine all the parts of a dinner - vegetables, protein, and starch - in a single piece of cookware, which of course meant much less to clean up afterwards.
As I began to use sheet pans frequently for roasting vegetables, I found that I liked the results better than when I used a casserole. Vegetables, cooked on a sheet pan, simply tossed with olive oil and salt, caramelized beautifully and were full of flavor.
Recently, the NY Times ran an article on the surge of popularity for this everyday item. In it there are recommendations for the best sheet pans to purchase and links to recipes. You can check it out here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/dining/sheet-pan-history.html#commentsContainer
Below are two of my favorite sheet pan dinners. The first, is Salmon with Fingerling Potatoes, Garlic Cloves, and Tomatoes. Before roasting, the salmon is bathed in a flavorful mustard and maple syrup marinade while the tomatoes are topped with a mixture of bread crumbs, parmesan, and parsley. The potatoes are simply dressed in olive oil and salt.
The second dinner is Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts and Grape Tomatoes. Here the Brussels sprouts are marinated in a zesty combination of apple cider vinegar, mustard, horseradish, and parsley. The gnocchi are simply dressed in olive oil and salt but are accompanied by roasted grape tomatoes that slightly fall apart and become part of a sauce.
The quantities for both dishes are meant to serve two people, but can easily be doubled.
Sheet Pan Salmon with Fingerling Potatoes, Garlic Cloves and Plum Tomatoes
Ingredients
2 plum tomatoes, halved crosswise
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 ounces fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
10 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 and 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 and 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 and 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 and 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley, divided
2 5-6-ounce salmon fillets
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, crosswise, along the middle of the sheet pan. Toss breadcrumbs, parmesan, 1 tablespoon of parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl. Spoon breadcrumb mixture on top of the tomatoes and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.
Add potatoes, cut-side down, and garlic cloves to one edge of the sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Roast for 20 minutes.
While vegetables are roasting, make a marinade using the mustard, maple syrup, vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon of parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let salmon marinate in it for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
Remove sheet pan from the oven. Lower oven temperature to 325. Peel the garlic and return to sheet pan.
Add salmon fillets, skin side down, to the other edge of the sheet pan.
Roast for 12-18 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish. (Remove when it flakes easily.)
Divide among two plates and serve.
Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts and Grape Tomatoes
Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 and 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon minced parsley
3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
9 ounces potato gnocchi
8 oz. grape tomatoes, halved crosswise
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons vinegar, mustard, horseradish, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add Brussels sprouts and mix. Place Brussels sprouts on one end of sheet pan, cut side down. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip the sprouts. Reduce oven to 350.
Mix gnocchi, tomatoes, 2 and 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a medium bowl. Add to the sheet pan.
Roast for 20 minutes, tossing after 10 minutes. Divide into two plates and serve.
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