We’ve made each of these items separately in the past and last night I decided I wanted to combine them. The results were fantastic. We added barley as well because the sauce on the brussels sprouts is killer and it needed a starch to soak it all up.

Like a lot of recipes I’ve been trying lately, the brussels sprouts recipe is from the r.s.v.p. section of Bon Appetit. If you’re not familiar, readers write in asking how to make dishes they’ve tried and loved in restaurants. In this case, the reader asks about a dish he had at Kevin Gillespie’s Gunshow in Atlanta. Atlanta’s a quick three hours away, maybe our next road trip will have to include a stop at this his place.

2 lb brussels sprouts, halved
5 TBSP vegetable oil, divided
1 TBSP cornstarch
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 TBSP finely chopped peeled ginger
2 TBSP hot chili paste
6 dried chiles de arbol, lightly crushed (we’ve never had these on hand, safe to skip if you don’t either)
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 TBSP sugar
2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup unsalted, roasted peanuts
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Toss brussels sprouts and 4 TBSP of the oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until softened (but not soft) and browned, 20-25 minutes. Set aside.

Mix cornstarch and 1 TBSP water in a small bowl until smooth.

Heat remaining 1 TBSP oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, until garlic is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add chili paste and cook, stirring, until darkened, about 2 minutes. Add chiles, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Simmer, stirring, until sauce coats spoon, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Toss brussels sprouts with sauce and serve topped with peanuts.

Now for the salmon:

4 TBSP olive oil
4 6-oz. skinless salmon filets
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced into rings, seeds removed if desired
2 TBSP unseasoned rice vinegar
2 TBSP drained capers
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Rub salmon with 1 TBSP oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast until salmon is opaque throughout, 10-15 minutes (we use a meat thermometer and typically cook fish to 145 degrees).

Meanwhile, combine jalapeno, vinegar and a pinch of salt in small bowl and let sit until jalapeno is softened (about 10 minutes, or as long as it takes for salmon to cook). Mix in capers and remaining 1 TBSP oil then season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the chile-caper vinaigrette over the salmon and voila! Bon appetit!

My mother-in-law wrote a cookbook that she self-published and distributed among her friends and family. Along the way she started grading recipes. We decided to adopt her grading method: anything above a B is worth trying again while anything below a C is not. These dishes above both get an A!