Mussels and Fries
Cook’s Illustrated published this recipe a few years ago, based on a technique developed by French Chef Jöel Robuchon where the potatoes are placed in room temperature oil and brought to boil and fried. The traditional method of double frying the potatoes isn’t necessary as the initial cooking of the potatoes is taken care of while the oil heats up. Just make sure to use Yukon Gold potatoes or Yellow Finn potatoes. Russets will turn dry and leathery (and no, sweet potatoes won’t work either so don’t even try). Chop the potatoes and place them in the Dutch oven with the oil first, then make the mussels. As long as you remember to set the timer for the fries, they pretty much make themselves. Dinner in about an hour!
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 15 of 17 ingredients — the other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 15 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Rice Bran | 1 cup cooked (158g) white | 206 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Shrimp | 100g cooked | 99 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Bacon | 1 slice cooked (8g) | 43 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Oregano | 1 tsp dried (1.8g) | 5 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Thyme | 1 tsp dried (1.4g) | 4 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Saffron | not in our table | 0 |
| Vermouth | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped thick cut bacon
- 2 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 6 cups rice bran oil
- salt
- 3 pounds mussels
- 1 cup chopped shallots
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
- 3/4 cup chopped Roma tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 1/2 cup dry vermouth
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- A couple slices of crusty bread