Chicken & Chips

When I was in law school, I did a summer study abroad program in London. I think I survived almost entirely on chicken & chips and sandwiches from Pret-a-Manger. Basically, chicken & chips is the English version of chicken tenders and fries, but with a subtly-flavored, airy, crunchy breading. The secret to a great breading is to use beer as your liquid. If you don't, your breading will take on an entirely different texture. If you've never had chicken & chips before, I urge you to try this recipe straight away. And if you have had them, this recipe is sure to cure any craving you're having.

Chicken & Chips

Recipe by Ann Burrell, adapted

Serves 2-4

Prep Time - 20 min

Cook Time - 20 min

INGREDIENTS

3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch wide sticks

1-2 lbs chicken tenders, or chicken breasts cut into wide strips
2 cups flour
2 tsp Old Bay seafood seasoning
1 tsp baking soda
Kosher salt
1 bottle cold beer

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil to 325 degrees F in a large deep, pot over medium heat. Regulate the temperature with a candy thermometer. (We used our deep fryer for this so there was no need for the thermometer). Keep the potato sticks in a bowl of water to prevent browning before frying. Remove to paper towels and dry well before placing in oil. (Drying is critical to help get the perfect texture). Fry the potatoes until they are cooked through and tender but have no color, about 4 to 5 minutes. Be sure the fries have plenty of room and gently swish them around as they are cooking, so do this in batches, if necessary. Remove them from the oil and put them immediately on a paper towel lined baking sheet to absorb any excess grease.

Raise the temperature of your oil to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, seafood seasoning, baking soda and pinch of salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and gently stir in the cold beer. Mix until just combined.

Dip the chicken tenders in the batter mixture and coat generously. When adding the chicken to the oil, dip about 1/3 to 1/2 of the tender into the oil and swoosh it around for a second to allow the batter to start puffing and then gently slide it into the oil all the way.

Fry the chicken until they are golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes turning the chicken over during the cooking time. Again, do this in batches if necessary to prevent over-crowding.

When the chicken is done, remove from the oil and put immediately on paper towels to blot the excess oil.

Working in batches, fry the fries a second time at 375 degrees F, until they are golden brown and crispy, a couple minutes. Remove them from the oil, immediately put them on paper towels and toss with kosher salt. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve with the fries.

Shepherd's Pie

I ate a lot of Shepherd's pie while studying abroad in London and crave it when it gets cold and rainy. Well, Tuesday was just such a day. Cold? Check. Rainy? Check. Time to make the Shepherd's Pie recipe I've had in the back of my mind for a while. It's not something I'd want to make every day, but it hit the spot on the first real cool day in a while.

Also, I specifically recall one of my faithful readers fairly recently lamenting not being able to eat Shepherd's Pie since becoming a vegetarian, so I have taken the liberty of of noting how I would suggest making this very meat-y recipe vegetarian-friendly without simply substituting fake meat for the real thing. Those notes will follow the regular recipe.

Please forgive the bad photo -
I'm convinced it's impossible to take a good picture of a Shepherd's Pie

Mummy Boome's Traditional Shepherd's Pie
Recipe by Danny Boome, adapted
Serves 4
Cook Time - 1 hr

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 lb ground beef or turkey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup beef stock
3/4 cups garden peas (I used corn)
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows

Preheat oven at 400 degrees F.

Add butter and oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic until tender for about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Once the vegetables have softened and start to brown a little add the tomato paste and mix evenly. Add the ground beef and cook until beef is no longer pink about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes. Mix in peas. Transfer mixture to an oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly. Place potato on top of ground beef mixture and spread out evenly, once the top surface has been covered, rake through with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. Place the dish into the preheated oven and cook until browned about 20 minutes. Spoon out the shepherd's pie and serve.

Mashed Potatoes
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, quartered
2-3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used milk)
3/4 cup grated mature white Cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large saucepan with cold water and a tablespoon of salt. Add potatoes to the water and bring to a boil. Let potatoes cook until soft about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are at a desired density, drain the potatoes and place them back into the saucepan for mashing. Add butter and cream and begin to mash potatoes into a semi smooth consistency. Once at desired texture add cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

***Now, here are my suggestions for a vegetarian friendly Shepherd's Pie - feel free to play around with the veggies and quantities to suit your own tastes**

INGREDIENTS
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 TBSP tomato paste
1/3 cup vegetable stock
1-2 TBSP flour
1 cup corn
1 cup garden peas
1/2 - 3/4 cup green beans
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, recipe above

DIRECTIONS
Add butter and oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic until tender for about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Once the vegetables have softened and start to brown a little add the tomato paste and mix evenly. Add the stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes. If the mixture needs to thicken, add 1-2 TBSP flour and whisk together. Mix in peas, corn, and green beans. Transfer mixture to an oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly. Place potato on top of the veggie mixture and spread out evenly, once the top surface has been covered, rake through with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. Place the dish into the preheated oven and cook until browned about 20 minutes. Spoon out the shepherd's pie and serve.