QUICK & EASY
Dinner ideas which can be whipped up in 30 minutes or less
NO OTHER WORDS instill fear quite like those uttered daily in households around the country: ‘What's for dinner?' The dinner-time struggle is real, but help is here, with these life-saving recipes from Australia's lunchbox dad, George Georgievski.
There are 60 fast, fresh and easy dinner ideas, in his new book Dinner Express, most of which can be whipped up in 30 minutes or less with ingredients that you'll already have in your pantry and fridge.
Whether it's hearty pies, quick ideas with mince, meals with hidden veggies for the kids, simple pasta and rice dishes, or the whole chapter devoted to pimping up a supermarket roast chook, this book will help you create fast dinners the whole family will devour.
LEMON-BAKED FISH WITH BUTTERY MASH
White fish is tender and easy to cook; it's also really good for you and we enjoy it at home at least once a week, served with my delicious buttery mash. The type of white fish isn't too important – just head to your local fishmonger or deli and grab the freshest fish available. Actually, don't grab it, let them do that.
Ingredients
4 x 150–200g skinless firm white fish fillets, such as butterfish
40g salted butter, melted
1 tsp salt flakes
1 Tbsp snipped chives
1 lemon, finely sliced
Buttery mash
1 kg red royale potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces 200g salted butter, chopped, plus extra to serve
250ml (1 cup) full-cream milk
1 Tbsp salt flakes
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. To make the buttery mash, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over high heat. Add the potato, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer and cover with the lid to speed up the cooking process. Cook for about eight
minutes, until tender.
While your spuds are cooking, brush the fish with the melted butter, sprinkle the salt and chives over the top, then lay the lemon slices, overlapping, on top of the fish. Pop the fish on the prepared tray, then transfer to the oven and cook for 15 minutes or until opaque and just cooked through (the cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the fish).
Drain the potato and return it to the pan, along with the butter.
Place over low heat and pour in the milk. Grab a potato masher and start mashing the potato – you'll need to go hard as we want the butter and milk to dissolve into the spuds. Add the salt and mix through, then taste test to make sure you're happy with the seasoning.
Serving time. I love to simply take the baking dish with the fish over to the table and serve the buttery mash in a large bowl next to it. Don't forget to add a teaspoon of butter to the top of the mash for an extra touch of buttery delight. Serves 4
Did you know?
I once ate mashed potato in the South of France where the quantities of butter and potato were equal: 500g of spuds and 500g of the best French butter! It tasted amazing, but it wasn't very healthy, so I've used far less butter in this recipe. You can use any white fish in this dish or even firmer fish, such as swordfish or salmon. The advantage of white fish is that it cooks quickly and tastes light, which balances the heavy mash really well. Enjoy!