Several weeks back, Momma Cocktail came for a visit. Being the dutiful son that I am, I decided that I would make her any meal that she chose, no matter how outrageous or complicated. I thought that it would be the least that I could do for her while she was here. Well, Momma Cocktail is a very uncomplicated woman. She decided that all she really wanted was haddock. No instructions as to how to prepare it or even any suggestions as to what she might like with it. That left my fevered imagination to go to work.
What I finally decided to do was a riff on the classic fish and chips. I already had a wonderful batter recipe that I use and all I needed was a way to so something a bit different for the chips portion of things. After spending a bit of time noodling things, I finally decided that I would use fingerling potatoes as the basis for my chips and tweak them a little bit. The results were quite satisfactory for both myself and Momma Cocktail.
Deep Fried Haddock with Twice Cooked Fingerling Potatoes
The Fingers
2 lbs fingerling potatoes
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp fresh sage, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
salt and pepper
Pace the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Allow to cool.
Once cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet then heat the olive oil in it. Add the potatoes, cut side down to the pan and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip the potatoes, add the sage, rosemary and thyme and cook until crispy, once again about 3 minutes.
Toss to evenly distribute the spice and serve hot.
The Fish
2 lbs haddock fillets
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp Old Bay
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs vinegar
1 1/3 cup water
Peanut oil
Heat 2-3 inches of the peanut oil in a deep fat fryer to 375 degrees F.
Rinse and dry the fish filets and cut into pieces 2 x 1 1/2 inches. Mix the flour, salt cayenne and Old Bay. In a separate dish, mix the baking soda and vinegar. Stir the vinegar mixture and the water into the flour mixture, beat until smooth. Dip the fish pieces into the batter and allow any excess batter to drip back into the bowl. Fry 4 or 5 pieces of fish at a time until golden brown, turning once, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Subscribe