So let’s get started! January brings the inevitable new year’s resolutions and new year’s hopes. This year, James and I are embarking on a very public health-spirited exercise! We were in the UK visiting James’s family over the holidays, where we learned that his sister and her husband were planning on doing a dry January. Considering that James and I had practically bathed in mulled wine, gin and tonics, and juicy IPAs during November and December, I heartily signed us both up as well (I think James may have tried to protest at this point??). However, I then upped the ante by musing that I’d always wanted to see what would happen if I cut out all added sugars too. I freaking love baking, and I never met anything with butter and sugar that I didn’t love. I’ve been known to eat cookies for breakfast, and practically daily ice creams in the summer. If I haven’t had sugar in awhile, I crave it, very distinctly, and often in the form of a Mars bar that makes your teeth ache. I was also jealous of the positive reports from people who had cut or reduced added sugar in their diets, and I wanted to similarly recalibrate and reset my taste buds. As I was explaining this, James’s sister’s eyes lit up, and James’s parents decided to join the conversation at exactly the wrong time. And so, it was settled. James’s whole family – his parents, his sister’s family, and us – would be doing a dry, no added sugar January.

We are 13 days in, and this experiment has been FASCINATING. I have become obsessed with labels and the multiple, insidious ways that sugar sneaks in and lurks in our foods. Sugar is truly everywhere. Besides the obvious culprits (flavored yogurt, pasta sauce, ketchup, granola), there is also added sugar in Italian sausage, panko breadcrumbs, soy sauce, and most brands of mayonnaise. Dried fruit can contain added sugar. There is dextrose in packaged turkey lunchmeat. There is honey in beef broth. It’s become a game, going to the supermarket and seeing which is the most outlandish thing we can find that has added sugar.

Which is why, I am happy to report, this recipe for delicious, buttery, garlicky swordfish has absolutely no added sugar! Swordfish is not something I’ve ever cooked before, and I’ve probably eaten it a total of 5 times in my entire life. So when James suggested it at the supermarket, I thought he was being very adventurous, and I was more than a little apprehensive (also because it’s quite an expensive experiment!). But I must say – after one bite of the swordfish cooked in this easy, no-fuss recipe, I have become an ardent fan. Swordfish is a dense, meaty fish with a mild, sweet flavor. It’s been referred to as the chicken of the sea, and is accordingly versatile.

This recipe is simple, super easy, and I think really highlights the sweetness of the fish (or is that just my sugar-starved taste buds talking?!). It’s a versatile recipe as well, and I imagine you can substitute other kinds of meaty fish such as tuna, mahi-mahi, or even salmon. If you’ve never cooked swordfish before, I really recommend trying it! Look for white fillets that may be tinged pink or orange. Avoid gray looking fish. Thicker steaks are much more resistant to overcooking, so try to buy fillets that are at least one inch thick. I think swordfish has become a great addition to our seafood repertoire – it’s easy, really delicious, light, and best of all, requires no added sugar for maximum flavor!

We served the swordfish with some leftover asparagus risotto and sauteed broccoli. You could also serve this with some pesto pasta, roast potatoes, or roasted vegetables, and have dinner on the table in 30 minutes to an hour!

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Pan-Roasted Swordfish with Garlic Peppercorn Butter

Source: Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground peppercorns of your choice, plus more for sprinkling (I used a mix of black peppercorns and Szechuan peppercorns)
• 1/2 teaspoon (packed) grated lemon peel
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 1-inch thick swordfish fillets (about 6 ounces each)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Mash butter, parsley, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ground peppercorns, and lemon peel together in small bowl.
• Heat oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet (I used a cast-iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle swordfish with salt and ground peppercorns on both sides.
• Add swordfish to skillet. Cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip swordfish over and transfer to oven. Roast until just cooked through and fish flakes easily, about 10 minutes longer.
• Transfer swordfish to plates and add butter mixture to same skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping up browned bits, until mixture is melted and bubbling. Pour butter sauce over swordfish and serve.

I was just in the U.K. for a fabulous family holiday, and it was one of the most relaxing and peaceful vacations I’d taken in a long time! I suffer from a bit of FOMO, and on vacations tend to want to see, do, eat, play, touch, and experience everything. I sometimes forget that it’s also really nice to just while away the hours reading a book in the unseasonably warm fall sunshine and take leisurely walks to the pub down the road. And on this vacation, that was exactly what we did! We were in Devon, in the beautiful English countryside, staying in cabins in Dartmoor National Park. If you, like me, got confused and realized that you didn’t actually know what a moor is, I got you – it’s an expanse of open uncultivated land or rolling infertile land, characterized by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. The Merriam-Webster dictionary notes that the term “moor” is “chiefly British.” Anyway, what it looks like is soft, undulating hills dotted with shrubs, heather, cows, horses, and sheep. The whole family had a taxing daily schedule of pool time in the morning, tennis before lunch, and an afternoon excursion either to the pub or one of the nearby towns, all the while stopping to say hello to the animals along the way. What an idyll!

Anyway. Back to food. If there’s one thing I love about the U.K., it’s the potatoes. I am a big potato fan. Roasted, mashed, boiled, au gratin-ed, chipped, cheese-and-onion crisped. All of it. The first time I went to the U.K. with James, I went a little overboard and actually got sick of potatoes. I know, rookie mistake. Not this time, though. And so, in honor, I bring  you a recipe for herby, brothy, buttery roasted potatoes. These potatoes roast in ungodly amounts of butter, then simmer in a fragrant herb broth. They come out crisp and browned on the outside, but beautifully soft, pillowy, and – yes – melty on the inside. They are a must for every potato aficionado.

Now, these potatoes are not exactly a fast weeknight side, as they take about 45 minutes total to roast, and you have to flip and fuss with them not once, but twice over that time. They definitely aren’t a I’m-starving-and-I’m-lazy-and-I-want-to-eat-dinner-NOW kind of potato, but they are a ooh-I’m-liking-these-so-much-I’ve-almost-forgotten-how-much-time-I’ve-spent-on-them kind of potato. Besides, potatoes do take notoriously long to roast, so don’t think that you can get those delicious crispy outsides and soft, fluffy insides in 10 minutes! If you’re cooking some easy seared steak and steamed vegetables, perhaps, or if you’re looking for an alternative to french fries for a juicy burger, spend a little extra time on these potatoes – you won’t regret it! 

Notes:

• Yes, 500 degrees Fahrenheit! Yes, this is crazy hot. The basic gist of the process goes: roast 15 minutes, flip and roast 15 minutes, add broth and roast 15 minutes. I’ve made this keeping the temperature at 500°F for all three of the fifteen minute intervals. I’ve also turned down the heat to 450°F in the middle of the second interval, because I wanted to roast some other veggies in the oven at the same time (weeknight dinner = compromises, y’all). I didn’t notice any discernible difference after turning the heat down, so I suspect that keeping the temperature anywhere between 450 and 500°F will work. Deb also concurs.
• The potatoes can roast very deeply brown, but the addition of the broth will mellow the browning and the potatoes will not taste burnt. I did have some problems with the broth evaporating too quickly, however, leaving me with no tasty juices at the end. If you’d like some more broth at the end, using a smaller pan that just fits the potatoes in one layer will help cut down on the evaporation.

Servings	Fuss Factor	Total Time	Prep Time	Cook Time
4-6	3	55 minutes	10 minutes	45 minutes

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Melting Potatoes

Source: Smitten Kitchen, where it was adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons (or more, to taste) chopped fresh thyme or rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds Yukon gold or Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock or low-sodium broth
• 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed, and chopped coarsely

Instructions

• Heat oven to 500°F. See note above regarding oven temps.
• Melt butter in a small bowl. Stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Pile the potatoes in a 9×13 (quarter-sheet) metal baking pan (a glass baking dish shouldn’t be used at this high of a temperature). Drizzle the butter mixture over the potatoes and mix with your hands to coat the potatoes evenly. If your potatoes, like mine, came straight from the fridge, the cool temperature will re-solidify the butter. Don’t worry – the butter will still be spreadable, so just smear it all around until the potatoes are coated, like in my pictures.
• Roast potatoes for 15 minutes. Use a thin spatula to loosen potatoes and turn them over. Roast for another 15 minutes. Then, carefully pour stock or broth into pan and add the garlic. Roast for 15 minutes more, until potatoes are fully tender.