Fish and Chips

Despite the fact that I have in the past said there was no way I was ever buying a deep fryer; we bought a deep fryer last week. (This one to be exact) I didn't want a deep fryer because I know how we are.  With a new toy we are likely to fry anything we can get our hands on for the next month.  I know I saw Alex eyeing the brownies last night. But alas, a sale flyer for Kohl's came along with a coupon and off to the store we went.  And somehow we found room in the cabinets.  And somehow we have NOT fried any brownies...yet.

Instead we made fish and chips and they were delicious!!  Beer-battered flaky cod and crispy french fries.  It was great.  We used a beer-batter recipe from The Neely's and adapted some of Gina's spicy tartar sauce too.  The fries we made mostly using the instructions on the machine.  I won't say it was the quickest dinner ever, but it was fun hanging out around the fryer in the kitchen drinking a beer or two with the hubby and watching some of our back logged Hell's Kitchen episodes.  (It's a pretty exciting life we lead, no?)  The machine made frying less dangerous (have I ever mentioned the time Alex splashed hot oil in my eye?) and the clean-up was just about non-existent. So without further ado, fish and chips.  Hope you enjoy them.

Beer-Battered Fish and Chips, adapted from The Neely's
Canola Oil for frying
3 large russet potatoes, cut into 1 inch wedges
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/3 c. cornstarch
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. baking powder
freshly ground black pepper
8 oz beer
4 (4 oz) cod fillets
For the Tartar Sauce
1/2 c. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. chopped spicy pickles
2 tsp hot sauce
salt and pepper

Ok.  Kind of a lot of moving parts here.  First up, make your tartar sauce.  Combine all your ingredients in a small bowl and put in the refrigerator. Next, cut the potatoes and put them in a pot of cold water to keep them from turning brown while you are getting everything else ready.  We actually cut ours up earlier in the day (nap time!) to cut down on the prep time later.  Now turn on your fryer or heat your oil in a heavy pan on the stove to 325 F. While it is heating up, get your beer-battering station ready.  Put 1 cup of flour in a pie plate and then whisk the other cup of flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and baking powder with the beer in a medium bowl.  Drain your potatoes and dump them on a baking tray, use some paper towels to blot away any excess water. Start frying your potatoes in batches (just two in our fryer!) for about 6 minutes or until cooked through.  Once done set them aside on your baking tray and turn up the heat to get your oil to 375 F.  When the oil is ready coat your fish fillets first in the flour, then dip them into the beer-batter to coat them.  Put two fillets into your fryer and cook for just 2-3 minutes.  Repeat with the remaining two fillets.  Now back to the fries!  To get them nice and crispy and golden brown put them back into the fryer (with the oil still at 375 F) for about 2-3 minutes more. Season with salt.

This was seriously good stuff, and not at all greasy.  Alex and I were super impressed with how great it all came out. I'm glad we got the darn machine after all.  Truth be told, I was tired of that little clip-on thermometer falling into the pot all the time. :)