Making good on my promise to myself to cook more fish this year, I flagged a couple of fish recipes in the February issue of Bon Appetit and adapted one for a recent dinner. The original recipe (Roasted Potatoes and Haddock Puttanesca) calls for anchovies and olives to flavor the sauce. Jeff wasn't keen on either of those, but I convinced him to let me use anchovy paste, which I find a little more pleasant to work with than actual anchovies. Then I cut back the recipe to make just the right amount for two and adjusted the method a bit to suit the lesser amount of ingredients.
We ended up with a super-flavorful, salty-sweet mixture of haddock, fingerling potatoes, and tomato sauce. The anchovy paste and some capers added complex flavor to complement the sweet tomatoes, and red pepper flakes provided a little heat. The end result was a filling but not heavy dish that could definitely qualify as winter comfort food.
Haddock And Fingerling Potatoes In Tomato Sauce (adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2012)
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes and juice, coarsely processed
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound fingerling potatoes, halved
2 small shallots, peeled and quartered (leave root end intact)
1/2 pound haddock fillet, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon drained capers
Parsley sprigs (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in small pot over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until soft and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in anchovy paste and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato puree.
Simmer over low to medium-low heat until sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, place a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Toss potatoes, shallots, and 1/2 tablespoon oil together in medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Spread in single layer on prepared rack.
Roast on top oven rack for 18 minutes, turning pan halfway through. Leave in oven. Place fish in 8-inch square baking dish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over fish and season with salt and pepper.
Roast on rack under potatoes and shallots until center is just opaque and shallots are crispy, about 7 minutes.
Spoon a little of the sauce into a serving bowl.
Place potatoes and shallots in sauce, and arrange fish on top.
Spoon remaining sauce over fish.
Garnish with capers and parsley sprigs, if desired, and serve.
How are your cooking resolutions going?