I chose this recipe from my Bittman cookbook because it looked easy, tastefully simple, and most of all, because we have fish and potatoes. I didn't do much by the way of planning food for this week and pickin's are gettin' slim.
Roast Cod with Potatoes
How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman
6 tbsp butter, divided
2-3 lbs red potatoessalt
pepper
4 4-oz cod steak
Place 4 tbsp of butter in a 9x13" baking dish. Preheat oven to 425°F.
Place the dish in the oven while it preheats to melt the butter. Remove the pan from the oven when the butter is melted.
Peel the potatoes and slice them about 1/8-1/4" thick.
When oven is hot, stir the potatoes into the butter and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper.
Return the dish to the oven for 10 minutes.
Every 10 minutes, turn the potatoes gently with a spatula.
When they are browned all over -- 30-40 minutes -- place the cod of top of them, dotting the fish with remaining butter.
Roast the cod for 8-12 minutes or when done (opaque throughout and offers no resistance to a thin-bladed knife).
Buttery fish, ultra-buttery potatoes! Don't get me wrong, it tasted damn good (the potatoes reminded me of scalloped potatoes without the milk), but something was lacking. Looking back on it, I realize I needed about 1.5-2 lbs more of potatoes. Also, the fish itself could stand a little zowie, maybe some smoked paprika or some Old Bay?
Googling it, I came across an adaptation of the same recipe by The Clean Plate Club; it's definitely worth checking out.
Yep, I'll try this again, certainly with lots more potato.
Cost:
- cod: $8.50
- potatoes: $1.75
This is the most remarkably delicious dish! I've made it several times now as written and once with boneless skinless chicken breasts for a non fish eater, which was also delicious.
ReplyDeleteLast night, neither my daughter nor I had gotten around to tossing a salad together, so we just threw some spinach and arugula onto a plate and dressed it with a drizzle of olive oil and champagne vinegar, then we served the fish and potatoes on top. It was amazing! The green wilted slightly and the vinegar was a perfect foil to the richness of the potatoes.
Wow, Anon, thanks for commenting! You and your daughter are clearly much more imaginative than I. I will definitely keep your meal in mind and plan to one day follow suit. It sounds awesome! And that makes me think I should get that Bittman book out and try some other things in it; it's been a while.
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