2065. BROOK TROUT roasted with SAGE, WALNUTS and BACON

yields four servings


8 slices bacon, diced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
15 sage leaves, coarsely chopped
4 trout (about 3/4 to 1 pound each), cleaned, scaled, gills removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
lemon wedges and watercress sprigs for garnish

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a medium skillet, fry the bacon until it is cooked through and very lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon and set it aside. Pour out excess bacon grease, return the skillet to the heat and add the shallot and walnuts. Toast, shaking the pan frequently, until the walnuts are very lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sage and reserved bacon.

Season the fish inside and out with salt and pepper and brush the skin lightly with vegetable oil. Divide the bacon mixture between the four trout, stuffing it in the cavity of each fish. Place fish in a large roasting pan fitted with a rack or two smaller pans. Roast until the fish is just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer the trout to plates and serve garnished with lemon wedges and watercress sprigs.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Molly O'Neill, "Sage Advice," The New York Times, Food Section, November 14, 1999