My
sister-in-law is a wonderful cook. She
has gotten me to eat fish more willingly than I ever have before. Last time I visited her, she did a deep-fried
dinner of cod filets and home fries. It
was delicious, but while I freely admit I will never be thin again, there’s no
need to add cholesterol and heart problems to my list of problems. So, I figured I’d try baking it. This turned out to be quite tasty, and since
both the potatoes and the fish cook at the same temperature, the majority of
the meal is hands-off and frees you up for other things, like tickle wars with
little boys!
Baked Cod and Tater Rounds
For the fish:
* Fillets of fish - I used cod tonight, but any
fillet will work.
* Butter, olive oil, or whatever floats your boat
* Seasonings - I love tarragon, dill, and garlic
on fish, but simple salt and pepper are just as yummy. Play around and mix-and-match. Try cumin, chili, and lime zest.
* Bread or cracker crumbs, or panko - optional
* If using the above, a couple of beaten eggs for
an egg wash, also optional.
For the taters:
* Potatoes
* Seasonings - salt and pepper, a blend, ranch or
Italian seasoning packet, play with it.
* Butter, olive oil, or whatever floats your boat.
* Shredded cheese for the second half, if you
like.
I was going to use a cookie sheet, but all
the butter drained over to the sides, and that just wasn’t going to cut it, so
I used a 9x13 cake pan for the potatoes and an 8x8 cake pan for my fish. The two pans were able to fit side-by-side on
the oven rack without crowding. You’ll
have to adjust your own baking dish sizes based on how much food you need to
cook. Since I am only cooking for three,
I have some flexibility. You can use two
racks in the oven, just move your potatoes down for their second half of
cooking and keep a nose out for scorching.
So
first, start the oven preheating to 425.
Peel and slice your potatoes about ½ inch thick and rinse them. Put some butter in the baking dish you’re
using for them, and put it in the oven to melt.
You won’t need a whole lot, just a couple tablespoons for a 9x13 dish
was plenty. While that’s melting, pat
your potatoes dry. Normally I don’t
bother with the pat dry step, but the water droplets in hot butter are not
fun. Trust me.
Season
your butter. That’s right, not the
potatoes, the butter. Just sprinkle all
over the surface of the melted butter so that there’s a nice even coating of
yum on top.
Put
your potatoes in and shimmy them around a bit, or if you’re a bit compulsive
like I am and need every potato evenly coated with butter, flip them all over
once to get them coated. It’s really not
necessary, though. You’ll be turning
them half way through.
Put the
potatoes in the oven and set the time for 20 minutes.
Sometime
before that 20 minutes runs out, get out your fish. Season it really well on both sides: garlic,
salt, pepper, dill, lemon juice or zest if you like. The seasonings are up to your
imagination. What sounds good
tonight? Just make sure you dust both
sides well, particularly if you’re cooking a thick fillet, so they’ll have good
flavor when they’re done.
If
you’re using breading, this is where you want to dredge your fish in the egg
then roll them in your crumbs until they’re well coated. I sprinkled mine with parsley after I coated
them with crumbs because I think it’s pretty. Unfortunately, I also used a bit too much, but it's still pretty, and yummy.
Put your fish in a lightly buttered pan.
When
your timer goes off, flip the potatoes and pop the fish in the oven. Bake for another 15 minutes.
Half your meal is easily done all at the same
time, and your stove-top is clear for cooking your veggies or other sides, but
to me, the best part of it all was that my three-year-old actually ate it. Even the potatoes. He won’t touch a potato unless it’s a
McDonald’s French fry. Not Sonic, not
home fries, not KFC, only McDonald’s. I
really do wonder if they put something in their food. He won’t eat nuggets from anywhere else
either, not even homemade ones with a Parmesan cheese crust. *sigh*
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