Cottage Grove chef whips up stuffed potato for an easy, tasty meal.

Byline: $10 Gourmet by Jim Boyd The Register-Guard

CORRECTION (ran 11/15/02): The Brothel Cafe in Cottage Grove has discontinued operation. A story in Wednesday's Entree section indicated the restaurant was still open.

DON GILVIN, the cook at the Brothel Cafe in Cottage Grove, offers a Salmon Stuffed Baked Potato topped with cheese sauce as the main course for today's edition of The $10 Gourmet.

The twice-baked potato is made with canned Alaskan salmon and is served with steamed fresh vegetables from a bagged mix of stir-fry veggies that Gilvin purchased at the Market of Choice in Cottage Grove.

For dessert, he served a generous scoop of organic strawberry ice cream.

A cash register receipt showed that the ingredients for the meal cost $7.85.

The $10 Gourmet is a feature that allows professional cooks to give menu ideas to home cooks. The professional is asked to cook a meal for two on a $10 budget. Small amounts of staple ingredients commonly found in a home kitchen don't have to be included in the cost.

Parmesan cheese, butter, flour, milk, salt, pepper, dry mustard and minced onion are ingredients not included in the cost of Gilvin's meal. Also not included are the restaurant-style garnishes he made with strawberries, an orange and parsley.

Gilvin has 22 years of experience cooking in Lane County restaurants. He has been the cook at the Brothel Cafe since it opened earlier this year. Open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and for tea parties by special reservation, the cafe is famous for its decor - the benches for its tables are made from the headboards and footboards of antique beds.

Gilvin said his menu has these points in its favor: "It's healthy," he said. "It's filling. It's quick." And it can be done on the spur of the moment, from ingredients that are likely to be stocked at home. "You can even use tuna instead of salmon," he said.

Salmon Stuffed Baked Potato

2 large potatoes

1 can (see note) Alaskan pink salmon 

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons chopped onion

Cheese Sauce (recipe follows)

Bake potatoes for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. When cool enough to handle, cut open the top of each potato. (Don't make a single slit across the top; make a series of angled cuts as you would when carving pointed teeth on a Halloween pumpkin. Then, when you squeeze the ends of the potato, the toothy jaws will spread wide, providing easy access to the interior.)

Scoop out the pithy interior of each potato and place it in a bowl. Save the potato skins.

Drain and flake the salmon, reserving the liquid from the can. Add enough milk to the liquid to make 1/4 cup.

Combine the potato, the milk and salmon liquid mixture, melted butter, beaten egg, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Fold in the flaked salmon and chopped onions.

Spoon mixture into potato skin shells.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes (until reheated and eggs are set).

Place potatoes on serving plates and top with cheese sauce (recipe follows).

Serve with steamed vegetables - Gilvin used a stir-fry mix - also topped with cheese sauce.

Note: Don Gilvin's recipe originally called for a 7-ounce can of salmon. However, he was able to purchase a 14.5-ounce can on sale for less than the regular price of a 7-ounce can. So he used the contents of the larger can when demonstrating the preparation of the recipe. Obviously, the amount of salmon can be varied in this dish.

Cheese Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Melt butter in saucepan. Blend in flour and cook until bubbly.

Add milk, salt and dry mustard. Cook until thickened.

Add cheese and allow it to melt into the sauce.

SETTLING THE BILL

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) Bumblebee pink salmon: $1.88

2 Russet potatoes: 70 cents

1 package stir-fry vegetables: $1.99

Tillamook cheese: 99 cents

1 pint ice cream: $2.29

Total: $7.85

CAPTION(S):

Caption goes here caption goes here. For a healthful meal that's easy to prepare, chef Don Gilvin of the Brothel Cafe in Cottage Grove suggests Salmon Stuffed Baked Potatoes served with cheese sauce and steamed vegetables. PAUL CARTER / The Register-Guard PAUL CARTER / The Register-Guard Don Gilvin pours the cheese sauce over a stuffed baked potato.