Mussels and Twice Cooked Chips

This weekend my girlfriend has been to stay and as a treat I decided to cook her favourite dish for dinner, Mussels and fries. Mussels are a great way to make it look like you have put in a lot of effort when in reality they take next to no cooking whatsoever! Mussels can be bought for dirt cheap at a local fish monger. Mussels like this go really well with crusty bread and fries. Since I was treating my girlfriend I decided to make them from scratch and deep fry them! A lot of people have reservations about deep frying but it is really simple.

Best boyfriend ever?!

As I have mentioned before (and probably why I won't be advertising supermarkets anytime soon) the fish monger is cheaper than a supermarket, however, you may have to be prepared for them to have limited stock. To avoid paying through the nose for mussels only buy them when they are in season. The best way to remember this is that they are in season in any month with an "r" in the name e.g. February. 

There are a few thing that you must bear in mind with mussels however if you intend to avoid food poisoning. First, you should always buy mussels fresh i.e. buy them on the day you intend to cook them. Mussels can only last so long outside of salinised water, they must be alive when you cook them. Second, before you even thing of cooking them you need to clean the mussels to remove any barnacles and weeds. These won't necessarily make you ill but they will spoil any sauce you have worked hard on by making it gritty. Finally, you must check every single mussel before you cook them. If the shell is open tap it on a work surface, if it doesn't close it is dead and throw it away! Equally you must do the same with a cracked shell. 

Ingredients

For Mussels:

1-2 kg of Mussels

4 Baby Shallots (diced)

150g Lardons

200ml Cider

2 tbsp Crème Frâiche

For Fries:

3 Large Potatoes

1l Vegetable oil

2tbsp flour

1tbsp Paprika

For the Fries (it is easier to do this first and keep chips warm in the oven if necessary):

1. Square off the potatoes and slice into thin chips. I when for roughly 5mm wide chips as I don't like the anorexic chips. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes to remove excess starch (this allows them to crisp up)
2. Drain the chips and dry well with a tea towel (if there is any water on them the oil will start to spit). Sift over the flour and paprika and toss so the chips have an even coating.
3. Fill a large pan (one that you would use to boil pasta) 3/4 full with the oil and place on the hob. The oil will be hot enough for frying when you can drop a little bit of bread in and it will turn golden within 2 minutes.
4. In small batches fry the chips in the oil for 2-3 minutes until golden, remove for the oil with a slotted spoon onto kitchen roll to remove excess oil. Once you have done this for all the chips repeat again in the same oil. This will make the chips nice and crispy and ensure they are cooked through.
5. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper

For the Mussels:

1. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan large enough to accommodate the mussels with a lid securely on. Fry the shallots and lardons until the lardons are crispy. 
2. This is where you have to act fast. Ensure the heat is on full. Add the cider to the pan and quickly stir it with the lardons and shallots. Add the mussels and put the lid on. Allow to steam for 5 - 7 minutes without removing the lid.
3. Add the crème frâiche and stir gently into the mussels and cider. Cover with the lid and steam for another minute.
4. Serve with warm crusty bread and chips (ideal for dipping in the sauce afterwards)  

Bon Appetite