Mussels and Fries

Cook Time 30 mins

Servings 2 - 4

Ingredients

mussels
2kg fresh Australian blue mussels
60g butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ bottle dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 tbs. white wine vinegar
¼ cup heavy cream
parsley

chips
8 Kestrel potatoes
2 ½ litres water
2 litres vegetable oil
sea salt flakes

Method

Clean mussels, scrub and debeard. Set aside until needed. Heat a large deep pot, pan or wok (with a lid) over medium heat. Add olive oil and one tbs. of butter, swirl to combine with adding the garlic and shallots. Saute until soft and translucent, stirring often to avoid browning. Increase the heat and add wine, bay leaf, thyme, vinegar and a grind of black pepper, bring to the boil and reduce slightly.

Add the mussels, cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, shake every now and then to rotate the mussels. Check to see if mussels are open, if all are open transfer to a large stainless steel bowl with a slotted spoon, cover with a towel to keep warm.

Bring remaining sauce to the boil and reduce slightly. Once reduced, remove from heat and gently whisk in the remaining butter and cream.

Plate mussels into large bowls pouring the sauce over the top, garnish with parsley and small sprigs of thyme and serve with potato chips.

To make the chips, cut potatoes, either a rough cut or 1.5cm by 1.5cm batons, wash well under running water for a 1-2mins to remove any excess starch.
Bring the water to the boil in a large pot and add a good pinch of the salt to the water along with the cut chips. Cook the chips with the water just bubbling away gently for 10-12 mins or until the chips are on the verge of falling apart (this step is crucial). Gently place on a wire rack and into the fridge until the chips are cold and dry, you could do this step the day before.

Fill a deep fryer or large wok or pot with the oil and heat to 130C. Fry the chips off in small batches for approx. 8 minutes or until a very pale crust forms.  Drain on paper towel and allow to dry and cool, chips can again be put in the fridge to dry out fully.

Heat oil to 180C and fry the chips in batches until they are golden and very crisp. Drain on paper towel and season well with sea salt.