Lemon Catfish and Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

I had thawed some catfish fillets in the fridge, and needed to use them last night. I decided to just sautee them in some butter/olive oil, and then add fresh lemon juice. To go with, I made Cheesy Mashed Potatoes and steamed broccoli. I've never made catfish before (although I've had it in restaurants) and it was easy to cook, and has a very mild flavor. It was popular with the whole family.

The potatoes I used were very small, thin-skinned yellow potatoes that grow in Portugal (mainland Portugal, I believe). I love them. They're similar to Yukon Golds, so that would be a good substitute. I always leave the skins on when cooking with these potatoes. Actually, I leave the skins on always, unless I'm using a potato that has a rough or thick skin. The measurments of butter, milk, sour cream, and cheese are just estimates, so add as much or little as you want.

Lemon Catfish

4-5 small catfish fillets

1 tablespoon salted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted and hot. Add catfish and cook about 4-5 minutes per side (may need more or less time depending on thickness of filets). During the last 3 minutes of cooking, pour the lemon juice over the fillets and let it reduce a little. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

2.5 pounds yellow thin-skinned potatoes, cleaned

2 garlic cloves, peeled and bruised

2-3 tablespoons milk (I used 2% for this)

2 tablespoons softened, salted butter

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese

salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling water for 10-15 minutes or until easily pierced with fork. For small potatoes, I just left them whole, but if your potatoes are large, you can cut them up before cooking. During the last 5-7 minutes of cooking, add the garlic cloves. (I left them whole, but you can cut those into large pieces if desired). Drain. Using an electic mixer (I used my stand mixer since this was a large amount), mash, adding milk, butter, and sour cream. Mix until mostly smooth. Then, add cheeses and mix until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.