Sheet Pan Salmon With Purple Potatoes and String Beans

If, like us, you’re a little obsessed with the flavor and health benefits of salmon, this simple sheet pan recipe will have you jumping for joy. It’s not only tasty, but super simple to whip together on a busy weeknight when you have five things coming at you at the same time and all you want to do is put your feet up after a long day. Even better, this recipe was created for The Rachael Ray show by Nutritious Life’s founder Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN – so you know it’s good! But salmon isn’t the only nutrition powerhouse in this recipe. Behold the glorious, violet-hued purple potato, which is a type of sweet potato. While potatoes are edible tubers in the nightshade family, sweet potatoes are actually roots in the morning glory family. (Excellent news for people who try to avoid nightshades.) Purple potatoes are less sweet than orange ones, and tend toward an earthy, nutty flavor. This pairs really well with sharp and tangy Dijon mustard and crunchy green beans.

Ingredients

1 pound purple potatoes, sliced in halves
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pound string beans
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 6-ounces salmon filets

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Slice, and toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place on baking pan and put in oven. Roast for 15 minutes.
2. While potatoes are cooking, prep the string beans by tossing with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
3. Make Dijon-walnut mixture by mixing together walnuts, mustard, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and parsley.
4. Spread Dijon-walnut mixture over salmon filets.
5. After 15 minutes, remove potatoes from the oven and add salmon and string beans to the pan. Place back in the oven for approximately another 15 minutes.

WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE Why is salmon such a great catch? It’s a tasty source of protein that’s also rich in omega-3s, which are fatty acids that are good for your gut and are associated with reducing risk factors linked to heart disease. Omega-3s are also anti-inflammatory, which all of us can benefit from. (Bonus: Eating salmon may even help banish PMS symptoms!) Purple potatoes are similar to russets when it comes to macronutrient content, except that purple potatoes offer about four times as many antioxidants as russets do. (It’s all about the compounds that give them their pretty purple hue.) Green beans are a rich source of vitamin C and a great way to get some folate in your diet, an important B vitamin.