Pacific Northwest Smoked Salmon and Avocado Sweet Potato "Toast"
BREAKFAST
This dish is a survival tactic wrapped in luxury. When you are two weeks into the elimination phase, the loss of a simple Wednesday morning piece of toast feels profoundly unfair. We answer that frustration by borrowing the pristine, heavy-hitting flavors of indigenous Pacific Northwest foodways—wild-caught salmon slowly cold-smoked over alder wood—and the buttery richness of Latin American mashed avocado. We use a brilliantly lazy mechanical shortcut, blasting sweet potato slabs in a pop-up toaster until blistered, bypassing grains entirely while delivering the generous fats you need to keep your blood sugar stable and get through the damn morning.
Before you start
Prep the sweet potato slices for the week.
Slice the whole potato on Sunday and keep the raw slices in an airtight container in the fridge to drop into the toaster on weekday mornings.
Ingredients
- uniform sweet potato1 large
- ripe avocado1/2 med
- extra-virgin olive oil1/2 tbsp
- flaky sea salt1 pinch
- AIP-compliant wild-caught alder-smoked salmon3 oz
- fresh dill1 tbsp
- fresh lemon1 wedge
Method
- 01
Prep the sweet potato base.
Slice a very thin sliver off one of the long sides of the potato to create a flat, stable base, lay it flat on a cutting board, and carefully slice it lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slabs.
- 02
Toast the sweet potato slices.
Drop two to three of the widest slices directly into a standard pop-up toaster on the highest, darkest setting. When they pop up raw, push them right back down for a second, and possibly a third, cycle until the surface blisters slightly and the flesh is tender enough to pierce with a paring knife.
- 03
Mash the avocado.
While the toaster does the heavy lifting, scoop the avocado flesh into a small bowl with the olive oil and a pinch of flaky sea salt, mashing vigorously with a fork until creamy but still retaining some texture.
- 04
Assemble and garnish.
Lay the hot sweet potato slices flat on a plate, smear generously with the mashed avocado, drape the smoked salmon ribbons over the top, scatter with fresh dill, and finish with a heavy squeeze of lemon juice to cut the richness of the fat.
Notes
Why this swap?
We are swapping traditional wheat or sourdough bread for slices of sweet potato. Not only does this strictly adhere to the grain-free requirement of the elimination phase, but it also provides a massive dose of beta-carotene and Vitamin A, which aid in mucosal barrier repair.
Hidden-Ingredient Label Check — Smoked Salmon.
Commercial smoked salmon is a minefield for the elimination phase. Many brands cure their fish in brown sugar, and it is incredibly common for the fish to be rubbed with black pepper, paprika (a nightshade), or dill seed (a seed spice). Turn the package around and read the ingredients; you are looking for exactly three things: salmon, salt, and hardwood or alder smoke.
Technique Tip — The Toaster.
Every toaster's wattage is different. Do not walk away during the third toasting cycle, as the sugars in the sweet potato can suddenly catch and burn.
From AIP 10 Minute Meals.