Fish and Chips

Ingredients

5 potatoes, washed and scrubbed
Salt and pepper to taste
Warm water
5 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb white, flaky fish (I used cod)
1 cup full-flavored beer (I used Stone IPA)
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a baking sheet by coating with 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper.

Peel the sides of the potatoes, leaving some skin on the ends, then cut into 1/2 inch slices lengthwise. Carefully stack the potato slices and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Place cut fries in a large bowl and cover with warm water and a teaspoon of kosher salt for 15 minutes. Drain water and layout fries on a clean dish towel to dry. While the fries are drying, wipe out the bowl they soaked in. Return the fries to the now dry bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil. Spread evenly on prepared baking sheet and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes (rotating pans once or twice), or until bottoms start to turn golden brown. Using tongs or a spatula, flip each of the fries. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, mix 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of beer and a teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. Put remaining 1/4 cup of flour in a large ziploc bag. Fill a dutch oven a little less than halfway with vegetable oil. With burner on low-medium, bring oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once oil is hot and you’re ready to fry, place fish in Ziploc bag and shake to coat with flour. Take each fish piece and dip in the beer batter, then place in the hot oil. Fry for about 3-4 minutes then use tongs to flip and fry for another 3-4 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Repeat this in as many batches as necessary (I was able to do about 4 pieces per batch without feeling like I was overcrowding the pot).

Serve fish and chips hot with fresh cut lemon wedges, tartar sauce, and malt vinegar. Also goes great with coleslaw!

Tips:

• Have lots of clean kitchen towels and paper towels ready to dry potatoes, clean up drips, and clean off fingers.
• Have tongs and spatulas ready for fish and chip turning.
• A candy thermometer is a must to monitor the temperature of the oil, especially if you have a crappy stove top like I do.
• I cut my fish into a total of 9 pieces (they were each 3-4 inches long).
• Have a cooling rack lined with paper towels ready to go for when you take the fish out of the oil.

Source: Fish from Tide and Thyme, Chips (Baked oven fries) from Annie’s Eats originally from The New Best Recipe