Steamed Mussels

Ingredients

• 6 pounds mussels
• 2 cups dry white wine
• ¼ cup minced parsley
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• (4 sprigs thyme)
• (1 bay leaf)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (4 ounces) butter
• (1 tablespoon Dijon mustard)
• (1 tablespoon capers)
• Lemon juice
• Minced parsley
• Crusty bread
• Hide ingredients for French Fries and Aïoli 1 French Fries and Aïoli (opens in new tab) French Fries and Aïoli
  • 4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2¼ × ⅜ × ⅜-inch batons
  • 3 inches vegetable oil
  • Salt

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Soak in a bowl of cold water to cover for 30 minutes: 4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2¼ × ⅜ × ⅜-inch batons
  2. Drain and dry on a kitchen towel to remove excess starch and moisture. Meanwhile, heat to 350°F in a deep-fryer, deep heavy pot, or Dutch oven: 3 inches vegetable oil
  3. Drop in the potatoes in batches, about 1 cup at a time, and fry until all the sputtering ceases, about 2 minutes. Scoop out the potatoes (which will be rather limp) with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before the second frying; the potatoes can be held for up to 2 hours.
  4. For the second frying, heat the oil to 365°F. Fry until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes, then drain on paper towels. Never cover them, or they will get flabby. Sprinkle with: Salt
  5. Serve at once.
  6. COLD-START
  7. First popularized by the French chef Joël Robuchon, these small-batch, “cold-start” fries could not be easier—you do not need a thermometer, the fries require less fat to fry than standard French fries, which makes it more feasible to use duck fat, lard, or beef drippings. The only drawback is that it can only be done with one batch per pot of oil. If you do use a thermometer, you will see that the oil initially rises only to the temperature of boiling water. When all the moisture is simmered out of the potatoes, the oil temperature rises and the potatoes brown. Because this recipe does not get up to normal frying temperatures until the very end, you can even use moderate smoke-point fats like extra-virgin olive oil.
  8. Cut potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold, peeled if desired, into fries as above. Make an even layer of them in the bottom of a saucepan or pot. Be sure the layer is on the thin side, no more than 2 inches thick (wider pans will be able to accommodate a larger batch). Add enough oil or melted lard, beef drippings, or duck fat to cover the fries by 1 inch. Bring the potatoes and oil to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook, shaking the pan and gently stirring several times, until the potatoes turn crispy and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and fish out the fries with a spider or slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels and promptly sprinkle with salt.
  9. SHOESTRING FRIES
  10. Cut the potatoes into strips no more than 3⁄16 inch thick and cook as for version I. A mandoline or other vegetable slicer makes perfect shoestrings, but you can also use a knife or a food processor to cut the potatoes. They should brown in 2 to 3 minutes during the second frying; do not let them brown faster, or they will end up limp.
• One 13½-ounce can coconut milk
• 2 stalks lemongrass, toughest outer leaves removed and the tender part of the stalk sliced
• (5 makrut lime leaves, torn)
• 1 to 2 Thai chiles, to taste, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Lime juice to taste
• Chopped cilantro
• Cooked jasmine or short-grain white rice
• One 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes
• ½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup minced parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3-inch strip orange zest, removed with a vegetable peeler
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Cooked linguine, bucatini, or spaghetti
• 2 cups dry hard cider
• ¼ cup heavy cream or crème fraîche
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Minced chives
• Crusty bread