Baked Salmon with Spicy Giardiniera and Herbed Buttermilk Mashers

Rarely do I try the stuff they're sampling at HEB supermarkets (CM not incl. in this statement), but on this day I was weak. First, the sample was wild salmon, and second it was topped with a jarred giardiniera that was free if I purchased the same company's pesto...an item which happened to be on my list anyway. The perfect storm. Canyon Foods, the maker of my giardiniera topping, is a woman-owned Texas company that creates all kinds of sauces and what nots. It was really very good, but had I to purchase it on it's own, the price would have kept me away. I think I ended up paying 6 dollars for the pesto and got the gardiniera for free. Way too much for pesto in my book, but at least it led to this tasty and very easy meal.
The mashed potatoes were a great pairing for the fish, and are "herbed" because I had some tarragon and chives needing to be used up. There are definitely enough flavors going on in the gardiniera to leave those out if you don't have them.

Baked Salmon with Spicy Giardiniera:

1 lb wild Alaskan salmon filet
~1/2 a bottle of storebought spicy giardiniera topping

Heat oven to 450.
Place the fish on a foil-lined baking sheet, then spread the giardiniera over the salmon (I salted the salmon a bit first).
Bake for 12 minutes per inch thickness.
Serve over top of mashed potatoes.

Herbed Buttermilk Mashers:

Yukon gold potatoes, cubed (I left the skins on and only used 2 for us and this made about 3 servings)
salt and pepper
~1 Tbs butter
low-fat buttermilk
chopped fresh tarragon (~1 tsp)
chopped fresh chives (~1 Tbs)

Boil water in a medium saucepan, add salt and cubed potatoes.
Cook until soft enough for mashing.
Drain, then return to pot letting any residual water evaporate.
Add butter, mash, then add the rest of the ingredients until you're pleased with the consistency and taste.

I served this with a nice big salad of Romaine, sliced organic strawberries and cucumbers. The dressing echoed the herbs in the potatoes....dijon, lemon, tarragon, chives, salt and pepper, and olive oil.