Icelandic Creamy Cod and Potato Mash with Rye Bread

What you need

• 600 g (1 1/3 lb) floury potatoes, peeled
• 500 g (1 lb) cod fillets, skinless and boneless; haddock also works
• 400 ml (1 2/3 cups) whole milk
• 2 leaves bay leaves
• 80 g (5 1/2 tbsp) butter, 60 g for the sauce, the rest for the bread
• 1 onion, medium, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
• 4 slices dark rye bread
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste, and plenty of it

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Cut the potatoes into 3 cm (1 in) chunks. Cover with cold salted water, bring to a boil and simmer until a knife slides in easily, 15-20 min.

2. 2

   Drain the potatoes and crush them roughly with a fork, leaving some chunks.

3. 3

   While the potatoes cook, put the cod and bay leaves in a wide pan with the milk. Heat until barely simmering and poach until the fish flakes easily, 4-5 min.

4. 4

   Lift out the cod. Strain the milk into a jug and discard the bay leaves. Flake the cod into large pieces.

5. 5

   Melt 60 g of the butter in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Cook the onion until soft and translucent but not colored, 6-8 min.

6. 6

   Stir in the flour and cook for 1 min.

7. 7

   Pour in the warm milk a little at a time, stirring, until you have a thick sauce, 3-4 min.

8. 8

   Fold in the crushed potatoes. Loosen with a splash more milk if needed, so the mixture is thick but spoonable, somewhere between a stew and a mash.

9. 9

   Gently fold in the cod and warm everything through over low heat for 2-3 min, stirring as little as possible so the flakes stay intact.

10. 10

    Season generously with salt and black pepper. The dish needs a lot of pepper.

11. 11

    Scatter the chives over the top. Spread the rye bread with the remaining butter and serve alongside.

Imported from noseychef.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.