The Easiest Valentine's Day Dinner

Sometimes the most difficult aspect of cooking dinner is knowing in what order to put everything together. I've taken out that guessing by leading you through the entire plate, step by step.

Flavor-filled mashed potatoes

2 medium-sized potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons salted butter

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons cheese (I only had a bag of pizza cheese, but use whatever you have)

Seasonings to taste: black pepper, garlic powder, oregano

Balsamic Roasted Asparagus

1/2 pound asparagus (half a bunch)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mustard Seared Salmon

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 filets salmon, skinned (I only had frozen, use what you have)

2 tablespoons mustard powder

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

1. Rinse the potatoes, cut out the eyes, and chop into 2-inch cubes of roughly the same size. Place in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Now you have time to relax!

2. When potato pot has come to a boil, begin to prepare the rest of the meal. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the asparagus and snap off the ends. Place asparagus in a large oven-proof dish. Pour over olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss. Add salt and black pepper, toss again. Check potatoes, if tender (can easily insert a fork), remove from heat and drain. Place asparagus in oven. Set a kitchen timer to 10 minutes.

3. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. On a large plate, combine half of the mustard powder and sugar. Lay salmon on top of the mix, and lightly press the fish to coat the bottom side, then flip to coat the other side. Now combine the second half of the mustard powder and sugar, and repeat with the second salmon filet. Place the filets in the hot waiting pan.

4. Pour the drained potatoes back into their previous cooking pot. Now that the asparagus has been in the oven about five minutes, move the asparagus around the dish with a spatula, and put back in the oven. Over low heat, add butter, milk, cheese, and seasoning to potatoes. Flip the salmon filets. Now, mash and combine the potatoes (I used a hand mixer).

5. After the salmon has been flipped for about 2 minutes, remove to waiting plates. The key to well-cooked salmon is to remove it from heat before you think it's ready. The fish will continue cooking on the plate to the perfect doneness. Serve with mashed potatoes and asparagus and enjoy!

Serves 2