Brussels Sprouts, potatoes and fish...oh my!

Saturday evenings since the New Year have been let's cook night for me and my bf. It has been a great way for the two of us to spend time together and save some money. There have been some (in my mind) epic failures and there have been some great meals as well. Mostly they are simple, well balanced hitting the important food groups and always colorful! This week's Saturday night meal was grill fish (yellow tail and swordfish) with goat cheese mashed potatoes and braised Brussels Sprouts. The inspiration was actually the potatoes which were suppose to be my attempt making Colcannon.

Colcannon - Traditional Irish Potato Dish

Unfortunately I didn't do a whole lot of recipe research due to a lack of time and the first recipe that I happened upon (which sounds amazing) said it takes nearly 2 hours! While I can spend that much time making something I really wasn't in the mood. Since then however I have found that they are not all that long to make and I probably could have whipped up a simple version in the same time I made the mashed potatoes. Que sera sera!

Menu: Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Butter Braised Brussels Sprouts, Grilled Fish

Rough Recipe: Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes 

Russet Potatoes (or another type of your pleasing - the starch types are the best however!)

Butter (Don't even think of using margarine it is a sin!)

Half and Half (milk can be used as well to reduce the fat, best not to use skim!)

Salt and Peper to taste (using white pepper means no black specks in the cream whiteness of the potatoes)

Goat Cheese (plain or herb)

Note: you will notice I didn't use amounts - I typically cook by eye and taste when it is something that using exact amounts don't matter.

Cut the potatoes in to small cubes (I like leaving the skin on, but you can always peel them. But you get more nutrients eating the skin). Boil in salted water for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Drain water and return to pan (you can also do this ahead of time and then store the potatoes in the refrigerator for when you are ready). On medium heat pour some milk into the pan with the potatoes and add a Tbs of butter. Mash the potatoes, stirring occasionally so they don't burn on the bottom of the pan. Add more milk and butter as necessary. I like personally like my mashed potatoes with a little personality, so I leave it chunky. The changes in consistency from potatoes pieces and skin to smooth and creamy is more homey and inviting in my opinion. If you want them completely smooth you will need to mash them really well and then whip them in some fashion either in a blender or with an immersion blender. All of this seems like a lot of extra work and clean up just to remove a few lumps! Just before serving mix in goat cheese. Add as much as you want! I personally love the pungent tangy taste of goat cheese so I added a lot. All you have left is to savor the cheesy potato goodness!

Then there are the Brussels Sprouts! I love Brussels Sprouts! I can't express this enough. Now I know there are quite a few people out there that may cringe at the idea of them and definitely don't like the taste. But, let me tell you if cooked right they are heavenly! But you do need to get fresh ones and you definitely don't want to over cook them. Just like cabbage when over cooked which can start to taste sulfurous. In Sunshineville it is pretty easy to get a whole lot of vegetables at any time during the year with no mind to what season these vegetables come from. Brussels Sprouts are not one of them. They are a winter vegetable and should only be enjoy in the winter and early spring in my mind! So I do a little dance in the store Jan - March when I can find Brussels sprouts at 99 cents/lb. They have to be though perfect little miniature cabbages. If the outside leaves look really wilted or black I usually pass on them. I know the fresh they are the better they will taste.

I use to only steam Brussels sprouts but I typically found I would over cook the outside just to get the middle cooked. I also decided that just steam was not enough for these wonderful vegetables! So here is what I did:

Rough Recipe: Butter Braised Brussels Sprouts

Brussel sprouts - trimmed and cut in half

garlic - diced or minced (minced is much easier if you don't want your hands smelling of garlic)

butter

water

Melt butter in a saute pan with the mince garlic. Add the Brussels sprouts cut side down in the pan. Cook til they are slightly browned. Turn the sprouts and brown the other side. Once golden brown on each side add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of water. Let sprouts steam til they are perfectly bright green! Try not to gobble them up before they hit the plate.

The remainder of the meal was cooked by my bf. Fish grilled with just a little salt and pepper. I must say I would like to take time to mention the Pacific Beach Fish Shop.

 If you live in Sunshineville and like fish you should check out the PB Fish Shop. They are a restaurant but you can also buy fish by the lb to cook yourself. I've been there twice to eat and definitely recommend it. They have excellent fish, great local beer selection and a great ambiance. The place may be in PB, but it doesn't have the undergrad vibe that so many other places nearer the water have. Please note the place is small and they have a single register so if you go in the evening the line will take a while, but it is worth it! I know you can call in orders and if you do there is a shorter line to pay for phone orders.