Fun in The Kitchen

It has definitely been awhile since I cooked. Tonight I broke the streak with a fillet of cod dinner featuring Parmesan potato pancakes and asparagus. The simple cod preparation was inspired by Megan's Dover Soul and the potatoes are adapted from an Iowa Girl Eats recipe.Tonight I got to break out some fun kitchen supplies - my new bright yellow lemon juicer (A recent birthday gift, thanks Gretchen!)

as well as my green potato masher.

You can't beat brightly colored kitchen supplies!

Parmesan Potato Pancakes

Boil 3 medium sized Yukon Golds until fork tender (about 20 minutes), drain and let cool. Baby Yukons would also work well, just omit the next step where you slice them in half.

Slice width wise and place face down on cutting board.

Apply light pressure to each individual half with the potato masher.

Use a spatula to place rounds on a tin foil lined baking sheet. Careful not to let them fall apart (mine were rather misshapen circles at this point, but they did stay together.) Slice a small slab of butter on top of each pancake. Sprinkle garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper and Parmesan cheese on top. Broil until the cheese is brown and bubbly. Serve with sour cream if desired. The potato pancakes are a fun alternative way to eat a baked potato. Next time I'd be a little more liberal with the Parmesan cheese, as the melted brown goodness crispy and bubbling over the golden skin was by far the best part, it just didn't coat every bite!

Fillet of Cod

Normally for a flaky white fish I prefer coating in a panko or Italian breadcrumb mixture but since I was out of both I chose to prepare it seasoned with thyme in a lemon butter sauce.

Pat cod fillets dry and season with salt & pepper.

Coat both sides evenly in flour and then sprinkle with a few sprigs of thyme.

Meanwhile, juice 1/2 a lemon and set aside

Heat a couple slabs of butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat and cook the fish until the bottom is golden brown and the edges are opaque, or the fish begins to flake.

Drizzle lemon over the cod as it simmers and to taste if desired.

I enjoyed this simple yet flavorful meal alongside a Long Trail Double Bag Ale.

The strong amber ale paired well with the rich buttery components of the dish. The chocolate and wheat malts didn't overpower the flaky fish as I initially thought it might. Instead it stood up to the flavors, and complimented the crispy golden potatoes and crunchy asparagus spears quite nicely. It felt good to have a home cooked meal this evening, especially since this week has some fun dinners out in store!