Road Trip - Iceland - Icelandic Fish & Chips

After breakfast and a nap, we decided to explore Reykjavik.  It was raining but we took a little walk through the town and visited some shops and this gorgeous church, Hallgrímskirkja.

Then, lunchtime! We had done some research online to find the best places to eat and Icelandic Fish & Chips near the harbour was highly recommended.  

They serve local fresh fish fried in a light batter made from spelt and barley along with hand-cut potatoes and a wide variety of "skyronnaise", flavoured dipping sauce made from skyr. 

We tried the assortment of skyr dips including tartar, basil & garlic, coriander & lime, honey & mustard, ginger & wasabi, chili & roasted red pepper, mango and tzatziki.  They were delicious!


The recommended fish of the day was wolf fish with crispy potatoes.  Two of us ordered that while the others tried red fish with rosemary potatoes and cod with crispy potatoes. 

The fish was beautifully cooked with a crispy batter and tasted delicious.  With an Icelandic beer it was the perfect first meal in Iceland.

Oh, one other thing!  We also tried their special homemade ginger lemon soda, which was refreshing and not too sweet.  Delicious!

Road Trip - Iceland - A Sensible Breakfast

On our first day in Iceland we were tired. Our flight from Toronto was a red-eye, but a short one, so we left Canada at 9pm local time and arrived in Reykjavik at 7am local time after a 5 hour flight without sleeping. Luckily our room was ready (although our friends had to wait until 10:30 am for theirs) and we were able to have a quick nap before heading out into rainy Reykjavik.

But before our nap, we were starving and breakfast was included with our hotel package. I fondly remembered these sensible European breakfasts from when we were in Belgium a few years ago, and luckily the breakfast in Iceland was similar: Bread, sliced cheese and meat, yogurt and something sweet. Makes a delicious and hearty start to the day.  

That bread was very tasty. There's also skyr with berries, muesli, and even scrambled eggs and sausage for the North Americans.  We ate our meal and headed off to sleep in our comfy European bed with separate comforters.  

Next:  Lunch time!

Road Trip - Iceland - Skyr

No posts last week because we were in Iceland!

Gullfoss waterfall in Iceland

We got a great deal on a trip and had always wanted to go. There are many beautiful sights to see, but there’s also lots of delicious food so that’s what I’ll report on here.

First, let’s talk about Skyr. Skyr is Iceland’s special dairy treat. It is similar to Greek yogurt but it is actually a cheese. It is very high in protein and low in fat.


“Until early last century, skyr was made on many if not most family farms and homes in Iceland. The process was revered as an art form, even as magic, and numerous words existed in Icelandic for failed attempts at skyr making. With the advent of modern dairy farms, small-scale skyr production in Iceland slowly became less common.” - Skyr.com

Skyr is generally sold in 6oz tubs with a very sensible attached folding plastic spoon. It somes in plain and a variety of flavours. We tried plain, berry, tropical, pear and one with muesli topping. I also had drinkable Skyr, which is my favourite thing ever.

If only we could get this in Canada!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

A lovely side dish for beef, chicken or turkey.  I like these Brussels sprouts brown & crispy on the outside. 

Slice the sprouts in half and season with salt, pepper and olive oil.  

Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes until nice and crispy... 

...flipping them about half way through.  

Short & Sweet Sunday - Be Back Soon!

Gone to Iceland. Be back soon.

Cheesy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

This is a great side dish with prime rib or any beef dish.

Peel a couple of pounds of Yukon gold potatoes and boil them until tender, about 15 minutes. 

Drain and mash with a few cubes of butter.

Add in some sour cream, horseradish and grated cheddar.  I used horseradish cheddar for extra flavour, but regular aged cheddar is fine too.

Mix it all together and fold in some chopped chives.

Serve with beef and Brussels sprouts. 

Grilled Prime Rib for Two

It was just the two of us for Easter dinner this year and I found a tiny little prime rib roast at a very good price.  I've tried pan searing and roasting a small prime rib before (one bone, about 1kg or 2lbs), but this time we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and try it on the grill.

We seasoned the beef with kosher salt, cracked pepper.

And placed it on the hot grill to sear for about 4 minutes per side.

Because of all the fat there were some flare ups and char.  We then turned down the heat and let it cook on low for about 12 more minutes until the meat thermometer said 140 degrees.

We let it rest for about 10 minutes, cut out the bone then sliced the meat in half to find it perfectly done!

We served it with cheesy horseradish mashed potatoes (recipe coming soon) and roasted Brussels sprouts for a huge, delicious special dinner with plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.