Potato Crusted Cod and Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos

On Sunday night, after a wonderful late lunch on the patio at Bouchee and wandering around the SOWA Open Market, B and I were completely wiped out.  We wanted to make something for dinner that was quick and easy but still tasty.  We looked through our freezer and decided to cook the frozen potato crusted cod that Sea Cuisine sent over for me to try out.

Since I had such a great experience with my previous Sea Cuisine frozen fish, I knew that the cod would be equally delicious.  The preparation for the fish was very simple and we put it on a cooking tray in the oven at 375 degrees for twenty-five minutes.

While the fish was cooking, we decided to make two simple sides to go with the fish.  The most obvious was a very basic salad with Olivia's Organics spring mix salad with a sliced vine-ripe tomato, sliced cucumbers, sliced avocado, and aged Cabot cheddar cheese.

While the salad was refreshing, we wanted to make something that didn't really go with the meal but we both really wanted to make.  We saw a recipe for cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers in the most recent issue of Everyday Food.  Our friend M makes something very similar as an appetizer for parties and we both really wanted to make it ourselves.  We went to Savenor's Market and picked up half a dozen jalapeno peppers.

After the peppers were washed, B sliced them in half and I de-seeded them.  We saved a few seeds aside to put in the cheese stuffing.  I shredded a generous quarter cup of the aged Cabot cheddar cheese.

I then added half a package of cream cheese and added the jalapeno seeds, fresh cracked black pepper and salt.  Using a small spoon, we delicately spooned the stuffing into the jalapenos.

B placed the jalapenos on the tray with the fish and broiled it for about ten minutes.  The end result was a very simple but surprisingly delicious dinner.  The cod was delightfully moist with a thick potato, cheddar and chive crust.  The crust was so flavorful that it didn't need any sauce.  While the salad was a light and refreshing side to the fish, the spicy jalapenos added a nice rich and cheesy goodness to the meal.

Better still, the meal made great leftovers the next day.  I added some canned tuna to the salad for lunch and we reheated the jalapenos for dinner, which added a delicious golden brown crust to the cheese.  Although the jalapenos were a strange addition to our meal, I know that I will definitely repeat it for an appetizer some time.

Have you ever seen a recipe that you had to try out right away? What was it?