Halibut With Corn Chowder Gravy And Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

5 medium (about 3 pounds) Idaho potatoes, peeled and quartered (1 big potato per person)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
4 slices bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery from the heart with leaves attached, diced
3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
1 10-ounce box frozen corn OR 3 to 4 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from the cob
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A few dashes hot sauce
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken stock
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup regular or reduced fat sour cream
3 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
4 halibut fillets (about 6 ounces each), skin removed

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Place a large pot of salted water and potatoes over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 10-12 minutes, until they are easily pierced with a knife.

While the potatoes are cooking, get the corn chowder gravy started: Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a medium/large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon until golden and crispy, 3-4 minutes.

Add the onions, celery and thyme. Sauté the veggies with the bacon until tender, 7-8 minutes. Add the corn and season with salt, pepper and hot sauce, to taste. Sprinkle flour over the veggies and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and half-and-half and cook until thickened to a gravy consistency.

While the gravy is thickening, check the potatoes. If they have finished cooking, drain them, and then pop them back into the pot they came out of and place over high heat to dry them out a bit, 1-2 minutes. Add sour cream, chives and parsley (reserving some of the herbs for garnish), and mash them well with a potato masher. Cover to keep warm while you cook the halibut.

Preheat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with 3 tablespoons EVOO. Season the halibut fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add them to the preheated skillet. Let them get crispy and golden brown on one side, about 5 minutes, then flip them over and let them cook for 3 minutes.

Serve the halibut fillets with the sour cream and chive mashed potatoes alongside and top everything with some of the corn chowder gravy. Garnish with remaining parsley and chives.