Potato Fish Cakes

Remember that delicious Pan Roasted Halibut in a Potato Dill Crust we made yesterday? Well, here is a perfect recipe to use up the leftovers. We all know leftover fish never tastes good like it did when it was first cooked. But this recipe turns leftover fish and leftover mashed potatoes into something fresh, crisp and delicious!! It was no problem getting hubby to eat leftovers when I served them to him like this. :)

Potato Fish Cakes
Inspired by Chef at Home - by Michael Smith

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces leftover pan roasted halibut
• a couple cups of leftover roasted garlic mashed potatoes (or regular would work too)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs, whisked together
• 1 tbsp hot sweet mustard
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely minced
• 1 red jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 recipe potato dill crust from yesterdays Pan Roasted Halibut in a Potato Dill Crust
• a couple tbsp butter
• a couple lugs of olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat saute pan or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a splash of oil to the pan and a tbsp of butter to coat the bottom of the skillet with a thin film.
2. With a potato masher, mash the leftover halibut and the potatoes with the eggs, mustard, dill, jalepeno pepper until combined. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
3. Prepare potato dill crust. Using approximately 1/4 cup portions of the potato fish mixture, shape into patties. Dredge in the potato dill crust mixture until well coated. Add to hot skillet and fry until bottom is golden and crisp. Flip and repeat on the other side.
4. Repeat until all cakes are cooked. Serve with lemon dill cream or leftover roasted garlic cream sauce from yesterdays recipe.

These are so unbelievably delicious! I couldn't get over how good they were. I never ever eat leftover fish, but going forward, I will always make an exception for this recipe. You can also use salmon or other types of fish in this recipe. You can mix up the herbs or omit the spicy pepper depending on your tastes. Be creative and cook what you like!

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Mini Meatloaf Bites

Hey Peeps! I know, I know, its been a couple days since I last posted! Today I'm blogging from my little ol' home town in Northern British Columbia. I'm up for a quick weekend visit and managed to find some time to get this post together. :)

I made these cute little mini meatloaf bites for our Super Bowl party last weekend, but they would be cute to make for any gathering you're having at your place. You could even make these in regular sized muffin tins for a cute dinner party main as well. Use a mini muffin pan for appetizer size though so people can eat them in a bite or two! I found the inspiration for these on the blog First Look Then Cook but I used my own recipes for meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Have a look at her photos because hers are far prettier than mine - my photos snapped from my iPhone just don't do these justice (it also doesn't help that I had probably consumed more than my fair share of super bowl beverages before attempting to put these together..!!). But they were delish! And super cute.

Meatloaf Bites

Recipe minimally adapted from the Girl Can't Cook

Ingredients:

•  3/4 lb lean ground beef
• 3/4 lb ground pork
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 loves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 up hickory bbq sauce (plus extra for brushing after wards)
• 1 tbsp worcestershire
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 cup parmesan
• mashed potatoes
• bacon bits

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a medium sautee pan, sautee onion and garlic with olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl mix together beef, pork and bread crumbs with your hands. Mix in sauteed vegetables, BBQ sauce, worcestershire, egg, basil, salt, peper and parmesan until uniformly mixed. Press scoopfulls of meat mixture into a mini muffin pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
4. Prepare mashed potatoes (I make mine with butter, whipping cream, salt and pepper. Make them wetter than you normally do, so you can easily pipe them onto the meatloaves).
5. Brush each mini meatloaf with BBQ sauce. Pipe mashed potatoes on top of each mini meatloaf, then sprinkle with bacon bits.

Hope you enjoy this one! We didn't have many leftovers because these were eaten so quickly when I put them out. Enjoy the last day of the weekend!

This post was linked up with Mouth Watering Mondays over at the Sweet Spot. Head over there ASAP to check out all the linky deliciousness going on this week. :)

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Ginger Flank Steak with Wasabi Smashed Potatoes & Sesame-Soy Green Beans and Peppers

Sick of your same-old same-old week night dinner routine? Think you can't whip up a great, new recipe on a weeknight when you're tired after work? Think again!!! Rachael Ray is here to save the day with some more of her "30 Minute Meals". You will be in and out of the kitchen in 30 minutes flat and dining on a great meal that will get you out of your week night dinner rut. I guarantee it!

Give this recipe a try this week and let me know what you think! If you like it and find these kind of recipes helpful in getting you through the week, let me know and I will definitely post more. :)

Ginger Flank Steak with Wasabi Smashed Potatoes & Sesame Soy Green Beans & Peppers

Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book

Ingredients:

• 3 inches of fresh gingerroot, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp tamari (aged soy sauce)
• zest and juice of 2 limes
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp grill seasoning (i.e. montreal steak spice)
• 2 lbs flank steak
• 2 1/2- 3 lbs idaho potatoes (4 large potatoes), peeled and cut into chunks
• salt
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 to 2 tbsp wasabi paste (how hot do ya like it?!)
• 3/4 lb green beans, ends trimmed
• salt
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 4 scallions, trimmed of root ends
• a handful of fresh cilantro leaves

Method:

1. Preheat a grill pan or indoor/ outdoor grill to high.
2. Combine the ginger, 1/4 cup of the tamari, lime juice, 3 tbsp of the oil, and grill seasoning in a shallow dish. Add the meat to the marinate, turn to coat evenly, and let stand for 10 minutes.
3. While the flank steak marinates, place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a oil, salt the potatoes, and cook until tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot. Use a potatoe masher to mash the potatoes with the cream and wasabi to your preferred consistency and heat level. Adust the salt to taste.
4. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry. Grill meat for 6-7 minutes on each side, for medium-rare to medium. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes, then thinly slice on an angle against the grain.
5. While potatoes and meat cook, cut the green beans into 2-inch pieces on an angle, and place in a skillet. Add an inch or two of water, salt it, and bring to a boil. Cook the beans for 5 minutes, then drain. Return the skillet to the burner and ad the remaining vegetable oil. Heat the pan over high heat until the oil smokes. Add the beans and bell peppers and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the remaining tamari and sesame oil, toss, and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Finely chop the scallions together with cilantro and lime zest.
6. Serve the meat over a mound of smashed potatoes and garnish with a generous sprinkling of chopped scallion-cilantro-lime zest. Serve the sesame-soy green beans and peppers alongside.

Hope you have all had a great weekend and managed to find some time to relax! I ran an 8km race this morning with some of my co-workers. It was a beautiful day and I had a great time running with some awesome people. What did you do this weekend? Whatever you did, hope it was great. :)

Happy Cooking my Friends!