Catching Up/Fish Dinner

I realize that title does not sound appetizing at all, but it's the best I can do with what little brainpower I have left today. I'm doing some catching up again, so this is another back-to-back post. First up: crispy fish with lemon-dill sauce. Not many tweaks here--a little more salt than that listed in the recipe, and that's about it. I'm not a big fan of using cod when it comes to fish recipes (unless it's for use in a fish cake recipe) because it has a tendency to break and fall apart very easily. So, I subbed in flounder, and it worked perfectly. The lemon-dill sauce was light and turned out to be a great alternative to tartar sauce. I'm a big fan of panko breading now, and it will probably become a staple in our pantry because it's just a great crunch--much better than normal breadcrumbs.

Sides included cheesy mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. I'm not sure why I steered clear of making mashed potatoes for a while--it really could not be easier. My basic plan of attack is to dice (non-peeled or peeled, up to you) Yukon gold potatoes, boil in salted water on high heat until the potatoes break apart when pierced with a fork (about 25-30 minutes), drain, add salt and pepper to taste, mash, and add any dairy I can get my hands on (this recipe included a few tablespoons of butter, some milk, and a mix of sharp and mild cheddar cheeses). The grilled asparagus was just as simple. I've become a big fan of this veggie the past few weeks, but nothing has tasted better than just drizzling the trimmed asparagus with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper, and grilling on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side. I sprinkled a little freshly grated lemon peel over the asparagus, and voila.