Drunken Mussels with Paprika Garlic French Fries

To make the french fries, cut 3 medium sized yukon gold potatoes into french fry cut pieces, I like to cut off then ends from the potatoes and then cut vertical slices that are a 1/4 inch thick, then cut the french fries from each slice of potato

Add the cut potatoes into a large bowl, add a generous tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp of sweet smoked Spanish paprika, a generous tsp of garlic powder, a generous 1/2 tsp of sea salt and some freshly cracked black pepper, toss it all together until well combined

Transfer the coated potatoes into a baking tray lined with parchment paper, make sure that they are all in a single layer, that way they all cook evenly, add to a preheated oven, bake + broil option 250 C - 475 F

Meanwhile clean 1 1/2 lbs of fresh mussels under cold running water, first remove the beard from the mussels and then scrape each one clean to remove any of the barnacles, set aside

Heat a large fry pan with a medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, after 2 minutes add 1/2 of an onion that´s been diced and 3 cloves of garlic that have been minced, mix with the oil, after 3 minutes add 10 cherry tomatoes that have been halved and continue to mix, 2 minutes later season everything with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper and mix together

Next add 1/2 of a 12 ounce beer, squeeze in about 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice, add a handful of freshly chopped parsley and the cleaned fresh mussels, give it all a mix and place a lid on the pan, after 5-6 minutes remove the lid, all the mussels should be open, remove from the heat and garnish with freshly chopped parsley

At this point the french fries should have been in the oven for about 30 minutes, remove them from the oven and transfer to a serving dish, serve the mussels and the french fries side by side and enjoy at once