Moules & Frites A Taste of Belgium
COOKING
with lee behan
During this time of lockdown, its important to remember the days when international travel was the norm for everyone. Roll back 3 years ago, on a trip around Europe we ended up in Belgium. Sipping on a delicious Belgian Ale in a large chalice glass, in a riverside bar, the sun was shining, we somehow managed to order Moules and Frites from a waiter that didn’t speak much English. Needless to say they were delicious and simple and a memory I will savour for a long time.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
1.5kg of Mussels (washed and debearded)
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2 shallots 1 bulb garlic 1 bunch parsley 1 bottle of white wine 4 medium sized potatoes 100gm butter chopped in squares 100gm whole egg mayonnaise 1 tub of crème fraiche 2 lemons Olive oil Salt & pepper
2. Peel potatoes and place in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, pat dry potatoes and slice into frites 1cm x 1cm. Toss them in 100ml of olive oil, salt and paper then place onto a baking tray that is covered in baking paper. Place in the oven for 45 minutes, turning every 10 minutes to ensure golden on all sides. 3. Break garlic in half and place one half of the bulb in tin foil and place in the oven on the bottom shelf for 25 minutes. 4. Finely dice shallots and 3 cloves of garlic. Roughly chop parsley and discard the stalks. 5. Remove garlic from oven, while hot remove the pulp from the cloves and mix through the mayonnaise to make your dipping sauce for your frites. 6. In a large pot, gently heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add shallots and garlic and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat up to a medium/high heat and add the mussels. Toss the mussels and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add one cup of white wine and cook for 2 minutes before placing the lid on so the mussels steam for a further 2 minutes. Remove lid and add ½ tub of crème fraiche, juice of one lemon, a handful of parsley and salt and pepper to taste, cook sauce for 2 minutes and stir mussels around. Finally add butter to mussels and stir until melted. Turn off the heat and allow to sit for 1 minute before serving in a bowl. 7. Remove frites from the oven and serve alongside your moules with a cheek of lemon.
For more recipes, check out Lee on Instagram @lee.behan | THE IRISH SCENE
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