Lemon-Herb Cod with Crispy Garlic Potatoes

By One-Pan Wonders
Images
Lemon-Herb Cod with Crispy Garlic Potatoes
Serves
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1½ pounds russet potatoes, unpeeled, sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 3 tablespoons cut into ¼-inch pieces
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 teaspoon minced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless cod fillets, 1- to 1½-inches thick
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced


Procedure
Easy but elegant, this unconventional take on classic roasted cod and potatoes ensures moist, flaky fish and browned, flavorful potatoes. Seeking to avoid overcooking the fish, we used our russet potatoes as a bed to shield them from the direct heat of the pan. Rather than just pile them onto the pan, we thinly sliced the potatoes; tossed them with melted butter, garlic, and thyme for plenty of flavor; and shingled them in four individual portions for an attractive presentation.

After shaping our potato rectangles, we roasted them for 30 minutes, which gave the spuds a crisp, browned exterior and removed excess moisture. We then laid a cod fillet on top of each. To highlight the fish’s clean flavor and keep things easy, we topped each fillet with a small pat of butter, a sprig of fresh thyme, and a couple thin slices of lemon (which would add to the appealing look of the dish). We slid our pan back into the oven, where the dry heat melted the butter, basting the fish and drawing the herbal and citrus flavors through the fillets and down over the potatoes. After another 15 minutes, this simple yet striking dish was ready to serve. You can substitute skinless haddock or halibut for the cod.


Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425°F . Toss potatoes with melted butter, garlic, minced thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Shingle potatoes into four 6 by 4‑inch rectangular piles on rimmed baking sheet.

Roast until spotty brown and just tender, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through roasting.

Pat cod dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Lay 1 cod fillet, skinned side down, on top of each potato pile and top with butter pieces, thyme sprigs, and lemon slices. Bake until cod flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 140°F, about 15 minutes.

Remove sheet from oven. Slide spatula underneath potatoes and cod and gently transfer to individual plates. Serve.

Reprinted from One-Pan Wonders: Fuss-Free Meals for Your Sheet Pan, Dutch Oven, Skillet, Roasting Pan, Casserole, and Slow Cooker. Copyright © 2017 by the Editors at America’s Test Kitchen. Photographs copyright © YEAR by PHOTOGRAPHER. Published by Penguin Random House LLC.

Lemon-Herb Cod with Crispy Garlic Potatoes

By One-Pan Wonders
Serves
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1½ pounds russet potatoes, unpeeled, sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 3 tablespoons cut into ¼-inch pieces
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 teaspoon minced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless cod fillets, 1- to 1½-inches thick
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced


Procedure
Easy but elegant, this unconventional take on classic roasted cod and potatoes ensures moist, flaky fish and browned, flavorful potatoes. Seeking to avoid overcooking the fish, we used our russet potatoes as a bed to shield them from the direct heat of the pan. Rather than just pile them onto the pan, we thinly sliced the potatoes; tossed them with melted butter, garlic, and thyme for plenty of flavor; and shingled them in four individual portions for an attractive presentation.

After shaping our potato rectangles, we roasted them for 30 minutes, which gave the spuds a crisp, browned exterior and removed excess moisture. We then laid a cod fillet on top of each. To highlight the fish’s clean flavor and keep things easy, we topped each fillet with a small pat of butter, a sprig of fresh thyme, and a couple thin slices of lemon (which would add to the appealing look of the dish). We slid our pan back into the oven, where the dry heat melted the butter, basting the fish and drawing the herbal and citrus flavors through the fillets and down over the potatoes. After another 15 minutes, this simple yet striking dish was ready to serve. You can substitute skinless haddock or halibut for the cod.


Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425°F . Toss potatoes with melted butter, garlic, minced thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Shingle potatoes into four 6 by 4‑inch rectangular piles on rimmed baking sheet.

Roast until spotty brown and just tender, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through roasting.

Pat cod dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Lay 1 cod fillet, skinned side down, on top of each potato pile and top with butter pieces, thyme sprigs, and lemon slices. Bake until cod flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 140°F, about 15 minutes.

Remove sheet from oven. Slide spatula underneath potatoes and cod and gently transfer to individual plates. Serve.

Reprinted from One-Pan Wonders: Fuss-Free Meals for Your Sheet Pan, Dutch Oven, Skillet, Roasting Pan, Casserole, and Slow Cooker. Copyright © 2017 by the Editors at America’s Test Kitchen. Photographs copyright © YEAR by PHOTOGRAPHER. Published by Penguin Random House LLC.