You will probably look at the triple-cooked chips and think it’s too much work and honestly, I do not blame you. However, you do not eat mussels daily and for this recipe it is definitely worth the extra effort. It is by far the best chips ever! Crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. It’s like -7°C out in the snow at the moment, so I just popped my chips outside instead of using the freezer. Very convenient indeed!
Anyhoo, back to the mussels. My tips are that you use a good apple cider and in this recipe I used Bulmers Cider, which you can find at most Norwegian supermarkets. You will have more than what you need, but you can enjoy the leftovers whilst you are cooking. Also, do not skip the Pink Lady apple matchsticks and don’t be tempted to use a different apple either. The Pink Lady brings the perfect balance between tart and sweetness to the dish.
I’ve been cooking mussels for years and my biggest critic has always been my husband. Finally I have managed to get him to lick his fingers and say “the best ever”!!!
Bon appetite!
You’ll need
- • For the mussels
- 1kg mussels, scrubbed, debearded
- 100g x unsalted butter
- 4 x shallots, finely chopped
- 1 x small/medium fresh fennel bulb, remove the fonts for garnish and slice thin on a mandolin
- 2 tsp x Dijon mustard
- 330ml x apple cider, I used Bulmers apple cider
- 1 x Pink Lady apple, cut into matchsticks
- Extra virgin olive oil and lemon, to serve
- • For the triple-cooked chips
- 500g x large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5cm-thick chips
- Sunflower oil, to deep fry
Method
- For chips, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add potatoes and cook for 7 minutes or until just cooked. Drain and pat dry with paper towel. Place on a wire rack in freezer for 20 minutes to dry out.
- Half-fill a deep-fryer or large saucepan with oil and heat to 150°C. In batches, deep-fry potatoes, turning halfway, for 5 minutes or until light golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and pat dry with paper towel. Return to wire rack and freeze for a further 15 minutes or until cooled.
- Meanwhile, discard any mussels that do not close when tapped sharply.
- To cook mussels, melt butter in a saucepan over high heat.
- Add shallots and sliced fennel, cook and stir occasionally until soft. Add mustard and cider, and bring to the boil. Reduce the liquid by a third.
- Add mussels, then cover and cook, shaking pan occasionally, for 3 minutes or until mussels start to open.
- To finish the chips, increase oil temperature to 190°.
- In batches, cook chips for 3 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Season with salt.
- Pour mussels into your serving dish. Garnish with fennel fonts, apple matchsticks and drizzle with olive oil.
- Serve with chips and lemon quarters.