Name: Cast Iron Pan-Roasted Cod and Potatoes with Orange-Parsley Salad
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 2 oranges; 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves; 1 shallot , minced; 2 tablespoons capers , rinsed; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; Salt and pepper; 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes , peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick; 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless cod fillets , 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick

Why This Recipe Works

This dish features flaky, moist fish atop a bed of crisp, creamy potatoes for a fresh take on a classic flavor combination. Cooking the fish and potatoes together in one skillet had the benefit of melding the flavors and limiting the number of pans that needed to be washed. We started with the potatoes, which we knew would need plenty of time to cook through. After slicing the potatoes thin and shingling them around the skillet, we gave them a head start by cooking them briefly on the stove and then moving them to the oven for 15 minutes. Only then did we add the quick-cooking fish fillets on top of the potatoes for the last 15 minutes of cooking so both parts of the dish would finish at the same time without any risk of the fish overcooking. The hot cast-iron skillet created a layer of very crisp potatoes on the bottom and soft, creamy potatoes on top. A simple, robust salad of oranges with fresh parsley leaves and capers was the ideal complement to our hearty dish. Halibut and haddock are good substitutes for cod in this recipe.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut away peel and pith from oranges. Quarter oranges, then slice crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Combine oranges, parsley, shallot, capers, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in bowl; set aside for serving.

Toss potatoes with 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Grease 12-inch cast-iron skillet with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Shingle potatoes into even layer on bottom of skillet. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes begin to sizzle and turn translucent near sides of skillet, about 5 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until potatoes are tender and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.

Season cod with salt and pepper and arrange skinned side down on top of potatoes. Bake until potatoes are tender and fish flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 140 degrees, about 15 minutes. Slide spatula under potatoes and fish and transfer to individual plates. Serve with salad.