I’m getting back to my Zumba classes after work, so it’s essential to make quick, easy recipes so that we aren’t eating dinner at midnight! Some nights, I’m lucky enough that Creg will do the cooking, but the other day, he had to work till 7:30, so it was up to me to get the meal started. I found some nice sole fillets in the store, and while I was wandering around looking for a veggie to go with it, I spotted some beautiful fennel bulbs. I decided on sautéed sole filets with oven roasted potatoes (mom’s favorite) and fennel. I started the potatoes first, since they would take the longest, then got to work on the fennel, and saved the fish till the last minute. This also allowed me to rope Creg into cooking the fish when he got home! As much as I like finding new and interesting recipes and testing them out, it’s also fun to cook without a recipe at all, which is what I did here. These are simple dishes that come together in about 45 minutes start to finish. (and would be even quicker with a sous-chef!)

Oven Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients:
5-6 medium yukon gold potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt

Directions:

• Place a sheet pan in the oven, and heat to 450 degrees.
• While the oven is heating, peel the potatoes and cut them into slices about 1/8″ thick.
• Toss the potato slices in a bowl with some olive oil (make sure they’re well coated) and some salt to taste. You could also add some chopped rosemary here, or other herbs that you like.
• Take the pan out of the oven and pour the potatoes onto the pan. Preheating the pan will help to keep the potatoes from sticking, and will also help to start the browning on the bottom. Spread them out into an even layer and put them into the oven.
• Cook for about 30 minutes, tossing once halfway through. They are done when they are nicely browned and crispy on the edges.

Roasted Fennel
Ingredients:
4 medium fennel bulbs
Olive Oil
Salt
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

• • • Preheat oven to 450.
    • Cut tops off fennel bulbs and discard. Cut a small slice off root end and discard. Remove any tough outer layers as well. Now you’re at the core of the fennel.
    • Cut the bulb in half to expose the core. Cut in half again, and slicing at an angle, remove the solid core and discard. Now that you’re left with a quarter of the bulb, slice it into 3 pieces, about 1″ each. Repeat with remaining bulbs.
    • Add all of the fennel into a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat.
    • Cover with foil and place into hot oven. Cook for about 20 minutes until tender.
    • Remove foil, sprinkle with Parmigiano, and cook for another 5-10 minutes until some of the pieces are crispy.

Sautéed Sole Fillets with lemon sauce.
Ingredients:
4 small or 2 large sole fillets.
1/4 cup flour
Olive Oil
Butter
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup white wine

Directions:

• • Sprinkle sole with salt and pepper
  • Add some olive oil and about 1 tbsp butter to a large non-stick saute pan. Heat over medium high.
  • Place flour on a plate, and just before sautéing, dredge fish lightly in flour, shaking off any excess back into the plate.
  • Saute for about 3 minutes per side and remove to a clean plate. Tent with foil to keep warm while you make the sauce.
  • Return pan to heat, add wine and the juice of 1/2 lemon and reduce by about half. Turn off heat, add 1-2 tbsp of butter and swirl in the pan till melted.
  • Place one fillet on each plate and pour some sauce over. Serve with an additional piece of lemon for squeezing on top, if desired.