Dinner Penzeys Style

Here is another post from Tricia, highlighting Penzeys spices.  Tricia gets the credit for introducing me to Penzeys.  I love their spice blends!

Penzeys seasonings can make any food un-boring.  I had potatoes, fresh green beans, and a filet of orange roughy.  Kind of boring.  But with Penzeys, I had herb and vinaigrette marinated fish, creamy peppercorn smashed potatoes, and green beans drizzled with red wine vinegar pan drippings from the fish.  How un-boring!  Here's how:


2 fish filets or chicken breasts (I used one giant orange roughy filet I found on sale)
*2 Tbsp olive oil
*2 tsp red wine vinegar
*1/2 tsp ground Penzeys India tellicherry peppercorns
*1/2 tsp Penzeys California sweet basil or thyme (I used basil)
*1/4 tsp Penzeys granulated garlic
2 Penzeys bay leaves
1/4 tsp ground Penzeys sea salt
Enough fresh green beans for 2, cooked however you like


Mix *starred items.  Coat both sides of filets with marinade.  Break bay leaves into 3-4 pieces, and press on both sides of filets.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hr.-overnight.  Remove leaves, discard extra marinade, sprinkle with salt and cook in skillet.  Fish 3-4 minutes/side, chicken 5 minutes per side.  Remove meat from pan, but don't discard anything else.

In pan, add another 2 tsp red wine vinegar to remaining drippings and toss with cooked green beans.  Another idea for a side (instead of potatoes) is to toss the drippings and red wince vinegar with warm pasta.

Creamy Peppercorn Smashed Potatoes:

5 butter yellow potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes, skin on
1/2-1 tsp Penzeys Creamy Peppercorn seasoning (I just shook it in there, so I'm not exactly sure how much I used.  You can add more if it isn't flavorful enough)
1/2 Tbsp sour cream

Boil cubed potatoes until soft.  Drain and return to the pot.  Mix with creamy peppercorn seasoning and sour cream - that's it!


If you have more time, you can let 1/2 tsp seasoning soak in 1 Tbsp water for 5 minutes, then mix with sour cream.  It thins the sauce, but it might let out more flavor.  I just decided as I drained the potatoes what I was going to mix in it, so I didn't have time to let it set.  That's the beauty of Penzeys - just try their seasonings (a lot of salad dressing bases made good add-ins for potatoes, pasta, or veggies or to sprinkle on meat) and see what you like best.