Roast Salmon Gravlax-Style

This salmon has the flavor of cured salmon without the wait. Serve with boiled new potatoes or over toasted rye bread with the sauce. From "Mens Health" magazine.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  lemons, sliced thin
• 1  bunch fresh dill, chopped
• 3  lbs salmon fillets, skin on
• 1  tablespoon brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
• 1⁄2 cup vodka or 1⁄2 cup  gin or 1⁄2 cup aquavit
• 2  tablespoons coarse grain mustard (to taste)
• 1  cup  light cream

Directions

1. Grease bottom of a medium roasting pan with the oil; spread with lemon slices in a single layer.
2. Pile dill in center where you will place the fish; place fish on top of dill, skin side up.
3. With a sharp knife, score fish.
4. Combine brown sugar, salt, and pepper; rub mixture all over fish, pushing into the cuts; let fish rest about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F and roast fish until it is just cooked through and the skin is crispy, about 20 minutes.
6. Remove fish to a serving platter, leaving the lemons and dill in the pan.
7. Place pan on stove top over one or two burners and heat on low until lemons sizzle, remove from heat; slowly stir in vodka, or other spirits, and loosen browned bits on bottom of pan.
8. Return pan to heat and cook off most of the liquid; stir in mustard and cream.
9. Allow to bubble gently, cooking and stirring, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (a couple of minutes).
10. Taste for seasonings, adjust as necessary, and pour over fish.