Fridays are always fish days. So here’s another one of them fish and potatoes recipes, to add to your ‘fish & chips alternatives’ list – Pan-seared Haddock on a Crispy Thyme Potato Smash
- This is a real cheat, if you want good crispy potatoes fast, without using the oven.
- In a pot of boiling water, toss in your potatoes, scrubbed with their skin on, and cut to inch-large pieces.
- Once they’re done, strain them with a colander and let them sit in there, steaming away for a bit.
- Then, get them all onto a hot skillet. With a small knob of butter and a sprinkle of salt, pepper and dried thyme leaves, smash and mix with a potato masher. You want to smash them erratically so you get a lovely assortment of large and smaller pieces, instead of bashing them to a pulp.
- Let them sit on the heat for a while, stirring them once here and once there, to stop them from burning.
- Sneak a small bite and once you’ve got a pan of fluffy and crispy smash, it’s done.
The Fish
- Pat dry your fillet of the sea and season it with just a bit of salt and pepper.
- On a hot skillet, drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil and put the fish on.
- Watch it closely, as it cooks pretty quickly. When the fish has shrunk slightly and has gone from translucent to opaque, it’s done.
- Lay gently atop a portion of potato smash,
- A squeeze of a lemon, a pinch of dill leaves and thin slices of chilli, you’re ready to please and be pleased.