Whole Baked Trout With Potatoes

Recipe Instructions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Brush a 14- by 8- by 2 1/4-inch-deep au gratin dish or similar Pyrex baking dish with 1 teaspoon of the melted butter. Use half of the potato slices to make an overlapping layer in the dish. Combine the remaining butter with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, the salt, pepper, and parsley. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter mixture over the potatoes. Make another layer with the remaining potato slices and pour another 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter mixture over them. Open the fish cavity and insert the whole smaller potato. If necessary, cut a small piece off the bottom of the potato so it does not roll before positioning it in the cavity of the fish. Place the fish on top of the potatoes in the baking dish and brush the fish with the remaining butter. Bake the fish for 15 to 18 minutes. Do not overcook it or it will become dry. Use a fork to gently poke the sides of the fish and if it flakes easily remove it at once. Remove the whole potato from the fish cavity and discard it. Present the dish at the table for all to admire, then remove the fish to a cutting surface and cut the head off with a fish knife or a sharp knife and discard it. Gently pull the fish skin away from the body, starting at the tail. It should peel off easily. Discard the skin. Fillet the fish, removing the bones, and serve it with some of the potatoes. This recipe yields 2 servings.