Over the last few years I have noticed that the standard, and usually most reliable, Bistro lunch in France has become Moules Frites.
Originally common in Normandy, Belgium and Holland it has spread slowly down through France and now is often my meal of choice in the Languedoc.

We have in the Languedoc, thanks to the high salinity of the Bassin de Thou, got some truly delicious Mussels but I have also noticed a certain raising of standards here in Ireland and the Mussels I now buy in Waterford are markedly cleaner and plumper than before.
This may be because the increase of Bouchot rearing of Mussels here.
They are however still cheap, around €4 Euros a kilo which will feed two well.

I well remember when the Mussel arrived in Cork- I mean we had them flourishing about the coast but not on the table.
Hedli Mc Neice (Louis, the poet’s widow-or at least one of his many widows) opened a little restaurant in Kinsale called The Spinnaker and I remember eating Mussels there in the Sixties, as a young fellow brought out to dinner by my parents.
She was in fact a true trail blazer and probably the very first of the new wave of Irish restaurants.
At around the same time Myrtle Allen discovered that her serendipitous stuffing of Mussels with garlic crumbs (“Like the snails I had eaten in Paris”) was greeted by a French Gourmet as “Ah Les Moules Farcies”.

But why should Moules Frites , this most cumbersome of dishes,have become such a standard in France?
To serve Moules Frites successfully you need a large dish of mussels, another large dish for the empty shells, a separate dish of chips, a finger bowl and napkin, and a knife and fork to eat these and also a soup spoon to eat the delicious mussel juice.
Its popularity must me due to both its deliciousness and to its cheapness.

A couple of weeks ago I asked for a double portion of the Moules Mariniere offered as a starter in a restaurant in Dun Laoghaire and a side portion of chips and thus eat Moules Frites for the first time in Ireland.
Delicious!

My version of this French/ Belgan Classic (you could even say Dutch also -but then they destroy it by adding mayonnaise to the mix) includes my healthy(er) version of the chip:- the Roast saute potato.

My Moules Frites
(Mussels with Roast Saute potatoes)
(for 4)

2 kg (4 lbs.) Mussels in the Shell (or more if you love them)
2 Medium Onions
Bunch Parsley
Bunch Thyme
Glass white wine, or cider, or water.

8 medium Potatoes
3 Tablespoons Sunflower oil.

Throw the mussels into a sink and run cold water over them to remove all surface dirt.
Now carefully remove the beard, that is the string they use to attach onto a rock, this sticks out of the side of the shell.
At this stage throw away any that are dead, that don’t close when you tap them.

Now get the potatoes ready.

Peel them and cut them into even sized pieces- I find cutting each potato into six works well but you can make them smaller, or chip shaped if you like.

Put these into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil.
Boil them until they are nearly cooked but still firm, about ten to fifteen minutes depending on size.
Take them off, strain to drain well then spread out on a tray to make sure they don’t stick together as they cool.
Pre heat the oven to Gas 6, 200C 400F.
As soon as the oven is hot toss the potato in the sunflower oil, season with salt and pepper and spread out on a large baking tray.
Bake these at the set temperature for about 15 to 25 minutes or until they are crisp outside and soft within.

Meanwhile cook the mussels.
Chop the onion finely and chop the parsley, take the thyme off the stem.
Put these and the wine or water into a large lidded pot and tip in the mussels then cover.
Cook on a high heat, shaking from time to time until all are opened.
Serve as they are in large bowls and with more large bowls on the table to take the empty shells.
(if you want to be fancy you could put some finger bowls and some napkins for the guests on the table as the best way to eat these is with the fingers.)

Serve the potatoes in the middle in a large bowl.