Tilapia with Hash Browns

Two hash brown recipes in a row? Yes, because like I said, who doesn't love hash browns? :)

I came across this recipe in a Food Network Magazine and I was drawn in not only by how pretty it looked, but by the interesting combination of fish and potatoes.

See how pretty?

I'm also always looking for new ways to use tilapia, because its cheap and everyone likes it because it doesn't have a strong fishy flavor. This recipe turned out to be a little more time comsuming than I thought it would be, but the flavors were great - love the salty spanish olives - and even my 1 year-old enjoyed it.

Tilapia with Hash Browns

from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

1 20-ounce bag frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
4 cloves garlic, smashed and thinly sliced
Kosher salt
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
plus more for drizzling
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives, roughly chopped
3/4 pound tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup diced roasted red peppers
3 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 pounds skinless tilapia fillets
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence or dried rosemary
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the hash browns with the garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the hash browns, flatten with a spatula and cook until the bottom is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Flip the potato cake and pat it back into shape. Cook until crisp and golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix the olives, tomatoes, roasted peppers, scallions and parsley in a bowl. Cut the fish into 12 pieces and season with the dried herbs, salt and pepper.

3. Scatter half of the olive mixture over the potato cake and top with the fish. Scatter the remaining olive mixture on top and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the fish is cooked through, about 12 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Serve from the skillet.

*I didn't have a big enough oven-proof skillet handy, so I cooked the hash browns in two separate small skillets, then transferred them to a 9x13 baking pan to finish the process.

Cheesy Hash Brown Chili

I'm not usually one to make/eat chili, but I actually like this version...and I give the credit for that to the hash browns for providing a nice crispy texture. Seriously, who doesn't love hash browns?

I adapted this from a recipe by Rachael Ray, see it here. I went with the basic format but changed it up according to what I hand on hand. The result was a super easy and filling dinner that we all enjoyed - with some cornbread, of course!


Ingredients

1 can turkey chili
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Mexicorn (sweet corn with red and green bell peppers)
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. taco seasoning
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
3 cups shredded hash browns (the frozen ones will work, or I used some dehydrated ones I had)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

*Since my baby would be eating this, I kept it pretty bland. If I were making it just for myself and Adam, I would have added some hot sauce or crushed red pepper to add some extra heat.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saucepan, combine chili, beans, corn, and tomatoes. Add taco seasoning, cumin, and garlic powder. Heat over medium and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into a lightly greased 8x8 baking pan.

3. In a large bowl combine hash browns and cheese. Spread on top of chili. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the hash browns are crispy.