Welcome to my blog!

Martha has one. Rachael Ray has one. So does Lucy Waverman.
Come to think of it, most of my culinary heroes have one.

Well, now I have one, too!

Welcome to my very own food blog.

I spend so many hours drooling over the writing and photography of other foodies, I thought it was high time that I started blogging and sharing my work online, too.

But bear with me: This whole blogging thing is new to me and I'm still a little wobbly on my training wheels, so I'm going to have to start slow ... real slow.

So, on this first time around the block, or should I say blog, let's try something quick and easy: a simple, very tasty recipe for Potato Crusted Haddock Fillets.

Now, if this recipe looks familiar to some of you, it's because it was first published a few months ago in my newspaper column, Comfort Food, which appears in The Chronicle Herald's Arts & Life section every other Wednesday. So many people have e-mailed me asking if I could please repeat the recipe, I thought it was as good a choice as any for my blogging debut.

I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think, and thanks for dropping by.

Nadine Fownes


POTATO-CRUSTED HADDOCK FILLETS




4 fillets (100-175 g/4-6 ounces) fresh haddock (salmon, trout or fresh cod would also be delicious)
2-3 large russet potatoes, peeled and grated
30 ml (2 tbsp) mayonnaise
15 ml (1 tbsp) freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper
fresh herbs, such as dill or basil (optional)
canola oil and butter


Method:
Pat the fillets dry with paper towels.


Whisk together the mayonnaise and lemon juice and lightly brush this over both sides of the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Take half of the grated potatoes and divide over the tops of each fillet, spreading out the potato to cover the fish. Press it firmly into place. Season again with a bit more salt and pepper.


Heat equal parts of oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat (about a 15 ml – 1 tbsp of each should do, depending on the size of your pan.) When the pan is hot, carefully place the fish potato-side down in the pan.



Take the rest of the grated potato and spread it out over the top sides of the fillets. Let the fish cook without turning it until the bottom potato crust is golden and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Use a large spatula to flip the fish and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until the other side is crispy and golden as well. (Thinner fillets might not take as long, thicker fillets may take a few minutes extra.)



Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel. Transfer to warm plates and serve immediately garnished with freshly chopped dill and lemon wedges.


Note: Be careful not the crowd the fish in the pan or the potato will steam instead of fry and it won't become crispy. If your pan is too small to give each fillet its own dance space in the pan (a couple of centimetres on all sides should be sufficient, as in the photograph.)