Lemon Dill New Potatoes

When I saw these beautiful new potatoes in my box, I knew I wouldn't have to do much with them to make them taste great. I also had some dill and I thought a little butter and dill would be nice.

Since it is summer, I wanted to grill something to go wit the potatoes. Mark Bittman had a recipe for Greek-Style Fish with Marinated Tomatoes in his Minimalist column this week that looked good. I couldn't find a whole fish; so, I had to tie together a filet of trout to stuff it before I grilled it. I have included the fish recipe at the end of this entry. But, I really don't think you have to get that complicated with the fish. If you find some good fresh fish, you can just put some olive oil, lemon, and salt and pepper on it and grill it for a few minutes on each side. The marinated tomatoes were nice; so, if you have time I recommend making them and putting them on the fish and serving it with the potatoes. The dill potatoes go very well with the fish and marinated tomatoes.

If you want to make this a vegetarian dinner, you could make the potatoes, marinate the tomatoes according to Mark Bittman's recipe, grill some marinated tempeh or tofu, top the tofu or tempeh with the tomatoes and serve the potatoes on the side.

This is a perfect summer meal. And, like I said, if you just want to grill the fish without stuffing it you could save yourself some time and I think it would still taste great.

Note to reader: I'm sorry the presentation was a bit sloppy this week.

I think I need a new food stylist.

Lemon Dill New Potatoes

Ingredients

5-6 medium new potatoes

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon dill, chopped

Drop the potatoes into a large pot of salted boiling water. Boil until the potatoes are tender but not mushy (about 20-25 minutes). While potatoes are boiling, melt butter in a small saucepan. Add lemon juice and dill until they are warm. When potatoes are cooked, strain them and let them cool slightly. Slice potatoes into think slices and pour lemon dill butter sauce over them.

Greek-Style Fish with Marinated Tomatoes

From Mark Bittman's The Minimalist

Ingredients

2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh chile, like jalapeno, of more to taste

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried

4 cloves garlic, sliced

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large whole fish or 2 smaller ones (2-3 pounds total) like stripped bass, rockfish or trout;

preferably butterflied and boned, or simply gutted

1 lemon, sliced

4-6 fresh sprigs thyme

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees or prepare grill; heat should be medium high and rack about 4 inches from the fire. Combine tomatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, chili, oregano, a few slices of garlic, and sprinkle salt and pepper in a large bowl; let sit at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, make three or four diagonal, parallel slashes on each side of the fish, just about down to the bone. Sprinkle inside of fish with salt and pepper, then stuff with remaining garlic, a layer of lemon slices and fresh thyme sprigs. Rub outside of fish with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Note: If you don't have a whole fish, you can follow all of step 2 and then tie the fish together with kitchen twine. If you need help, just e-mail me and I can give you very specific instructions.

3. To roast, put fish in a roasting pan and cook for about 20 minutes (cooking time will depend on the size of the fish). If grilling, cook until firm enough to turn, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn and cook on second side for 5 to 8 minutes. Whether roasting or grilling, fish is done when exterior is crisp and a thin-bladed knife passes easily through flesh.

4. Taste tomato mixture and adjust seasoning, adding more oil if needed. Serve fish topped with tomatoes and their liquid.

Yield: 4 servings