Gloin, I understand what you are saying, but do read Unfinished Tales. To my mind it is more "authentic" than the published Silmarillion because Christopher Tolkien did not attempt to polish them in to a finished narrative but has published them with footnotes to explain inconsistencies with the published works. As well as the background to the quest of Erebor there is fascinating back history on the Istari, the Palantiri, the Druadan Cirion and Eorl, the House of Dol Amroth and the loss of the ring - some of these are developed versions of what appeared in the appendices and given the pressure that Tolkien was under both of time and book length, I don't think that their omission is necessarily a judgement on their quality.
Also there is the wonderful tale of Aldarion and Erendis, which is as fine a story as Tolkien ever wrote and shows a greater insight into dysfunctional relationships than you might expect. It is a gem not to be missed. Remember that tolkien found it hard to find a publisher for the Silmarillion stories ... they only wanted the "bankable" hobbits. Anyway, read UT even if you give HoME a wide berth.
Re cross post with Eomer .. great minds....