Featured/ French Recipes/ Side Dishes

French Byron Potatoes with Grilled Salmon Steaks

Lately I’ve been posting recipes from all over the world: Spanish, Mexican, Moroccan, etc. I thought it is time to get back to some French cooking, which is my specialty! Thumbing though some recipes I learned at the Paris Cordon Bleu school, I came across a recipe for Byron Potatoes (Pommes de terre Byron). These are mashed or puréed potatoes that are made with butter and cream and topped with cheese, usually Gruyère or Parmesan. How French can that be! They can be presented as individual potato cakes or served in a casserole dish. In any case, they make a perfect side dish, but what better way to serve them than as an accompaniment to Grilled Salmon Steaks with Lemon Butter Sauce! (see below)

The Byron Potatoes recipe that I learned at Le Cordon Bleu was more ‘fancied up’, including piping the pureed potatoes onto a baking sheet, however you can skip the piping and just shape the potato cakes with your hands.

So, here is the process for making the delicious French Byron Potatoes:

First, the potatoes are boiled and then passed through a food mill to make them nice and fluffy:

Byron (6 of 6) (1 of 1)

Butter and two egg yolks are then worked into the warm potatoes, then piped into small circles on a baking sheet. A well is made into the center of each potato cake using the back of a spoon, then a creamy white sauce is spooned into the center. Finally, grated cheese is added on top and the cakes are then baked to a golden brown.

Bake the Byron Potatoes until golden and top with some chopped chives:

Byron (4 of 4) (1 of 1)

I served my Byron Potatoes with Grilled Salmon Steaks with Lemon Butter Sauce, but they can be served with just about any type of food: fish, lamb, salads, the sky is the limit!

What are Salmon Steaks (salmon cutlets)?

Salmon steaks are derived by cutting the salmon cross-wise across the bone rather than lengthwise. By including the bone in the cooking of the fish, you get a slightly more juicy flavor and the salmon steak certainly has an interesting shape. You can remove the center bone of the fish prior to serving which makes it easier to eat. However, you could also use thick salmon slices (fillets) rather than the steaks, if desired.

In any case, bon appétit!  (Also, I’d love it if you would subscribe to my blog or ‘like’ my G’day Souffle’ Facebook page)!

Byron

French Byron Potatoes with Grilled Salmon Steaks
Serves 4
Succulent Salmon Steaks surrounded by creamy French potatoes
Write a review
Print
Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
1 hr
Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
1 hr
Byron Potatoes
  1. 500 g large potatoes
  2. 50 g butter
  3. 2 egg yolks
  4. Salt
For the White Sauce
  1. 2 Tbsp butter
  2. 2 Tbsp flour
  3. 50 ml cream
  4. 150 ml milk
  5. Salt/white pepper
  6. Nutmeg
  7. 50 g Gruyère or Parmesan cheese
  8. Chives chopped
Salmon Steaks
  1. 4 salmon steaks (cutlets) or thick salmon slices
  2. Olive or vegetable oil for grilling
  3. Salt/pepper
For the Lemon Butter Sauce
  1. 30 ml water (2 Tbsp)
  2. Juice of ½ lemon
  3. salt and pinch cayenne pepper
  4. 100 g butter, cut into cold cubes
  5. Chopped chives
For the Byron Potatoes
  1. First make the White Sauce; melt the 15 g butter in a small saucepan, then stir in the flour to make a thick paste. Gradually stir in the cream and milk over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Add the salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste.
  2. Peel and cut the potatoes into rough chunks. Add the potatoes to cold water and bring to the boil; add salt to water after water comes to a boil; cook until the potatoes are cooked through. Strain water until potatoes are dry. Press the potatoes through a food mill then work the butter through the warm potatoes using a rubber spatula. Now add the two egg yolks and continue to mix with the spatula. Season with salt and white pepper.
  3. Place the potato mixture into a pastry bag using a nozzle with a round opening and pipe the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking tray; pipe into concentric circles about 3 inches wide. Dip a metal spoon into warm water and use the back of the spoon to make a small well into the middle of each potato circle. Fill each well with a spoon-full of the white sauce and then top with a little grated cheese. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes turn golden. Garnish with a little chopped chives.
For the Grilled Salmon Steaks
  1. Brush both sides of each Salmon steak with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan or Barbeque grill until medium hot and brush with oil. Lay each steak diagonally across the grill to create a diagonal pattern for presentation. Cook each side for 3-4 minutes then brush each steak with a little of the lemon butter sauce, wrap in foil and bake in the oven for a further 4-5 minutes until the fish is cooked through. The fish will be done when the flesh has turned a light pink inside.
For the Lemon Butter Sauce
  1. Combine the water and lemon juice in a small saucepan; heat for several minutes until the mixture reduces a little. Gradually add the cold butter cubes; whisk over medium-low heat until the mixture gradually thickens. Be careful not to add too much heat or the butter may split. Continue adding the butter until the mixture thickens then add the salt, cayenne pepper and chopped chives.
  2. To plate, remove the center bone from each piece of salmon. Place the salmon steak on top of a bed of cooked spinach, spoon some of the lemon butter sauce around the side of the salmon and add a few pieces of the Byron potatoes on the side.
G'day Soufflé https://gdaysouffle.com/
Save

You Might Also Like

17 Comments

  • Reply
    John/Kitchen Riffs
    September 6, 2017 at 11:33 pm

    Great looking potatoes! And salmon, too. I’d shape the potatoes with my hands — I’m piping–challenged. Guess I should just learn how to do it someday, huh? 🙂 Anyway, good stuff — thanks.

    • Reply
      Fran
      September 7, 2017 at 7:07 pm

      Thanks for the comment, John. For her Byron Potatoes, Julia Child just mashes the potatoes with a big fork and then puts the whole bunch into a casserole dish- didn’t bother shaping them into individual cakes!

      • Reply
        Ted Verrion
        May 9, 2021 at 7:01 pm

        I see you’ve missed out living in England…… this is just a fancy french name for what we call DUCHESS POTATOES

        • Reply
          Fran Flint
          May 10, 2021 at 12:03 am

          Thanks for pointing out the similarities between the two recipes. Yes, they are very similar, however, the French Byron Potatoes recipe emphasises making a bechamel sauce that is then spooned into the center of each ‘cake.’ Also, Byron potatoes typically don’t use nutmeg. It’s all very interesting!

  • Reply
    Mimi
    September 7, 2017 at 4:46 am

    Oh my goodness! I’ve never heard of these and they’re so fun! And with the cheese… oh la la! I bet they would reheat well.

    • Reply
      Fran
      September 7, 2017 at 7:09 pm

      Mimi, thanks for the comment. Yes, they are definitely worth trying!

  • Reply
    Aria
    December 18, 2017 at 5:40 pm

    Oh God!!! This grilled-salmon-steaks looks and appearance great!!I I can’t wait to try it! Really I Love this healthy and wonderful recipe!!Thank you.

  • Reply
    Velva
    August 2, 2018 at 8:25 am

    Your Bryan potatoes are delightful. The portion size is perfect, and exploding with flavor. Love it. Thanks for sharing.

    Velva-Tomatoes on the Vine

  • Reply
    All That I'm Eating
    August 10, 2018 at 9:09 pm

    What a delicious sounding recipe for potatoes, I’ve never heard of them before!

  • Reply
    Jeff the Chef
    August 11, 2018 at 10:45 pm

    Good lord, those potatoes sound absolutely fantastic! I’ve never had anything like them, that’s for sure. They sound really fancy, and really delicious, but they also sound pretty approachable. The salmon also looks fantastic. I’m so glad I stumbled onto your site!

  • Reply
    Gerlinde
    September 14, 2018 at 5:47 am

    Your Bryon potatoes look divine, I have to try them. You made a gourmet dinner with potatoes and salmon.

  • Reply
    All That I'm Eating
    September 14, 2018 at 7:40 pm

    These potatoes sound delicious, I love that it’s something a bit different, I’ll have to try them!

  • Reply
    angiesrecipes
    September 12, 2019 at 12:28 pm

    Salmon is my top favourite fish! Bryon potatoes are new to me and definitely something I should try ASAP. I love how you plate your food..simple, yet elegant.

  • Reply
    mae
    October 19, 2019 at 10:56 pm

    Sadly, we haven’t been seeing salmon steaks lately, and I fear that’s because the salmon catch is including fewer and fewer large fish. Another symptom of the problems of the salmon population, and all the problems of the health of the planet. I wish I could find and cook some this way.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Rahul
    September 28, 2020 at 4:24 am

    I loved the way french byron potatoes is made. I am so gonna try it today. Everything on the plate looks so awesome; the butter sauce, the salmon. You are awesome Fran

  • Reply
    Receptai
    May 1, 2022 at 2:07 pm

    Delicius recipe, thank you! 🙂 Wishes from Lithuania!

  • Reply
    David @ Spiced
    February 20, 2023 at 4:40 am

    Those potatoes sound fantastic, Fran! I haven’t heard about Byron potatoes before, but now I want to make some. And I second the food mill for mashed potatoes – that’s how I make mine, too! And of course, the grilled salmon steak would be fantastic next to the potatoes. All around a great meal!

  • I love comments!