Mussels with bacon, potatoes and tarragon

Serves 4

We call these blå muslinger ,or blue mussels. We have a lot of them; they are cheap and we ought to eat them weekly.

— 1kg mussels

— 2 tbsp olive oil

— 50g bacon, finely chopped

— 1 onion, finely chopped

— 100g potatoes, skins on, scrubbed and finely chopped

— 3 garlic cloves, finely

chopped

— 3-4 tarragon sprigs, plus a small handful of tarragon leaves to serve

— 300ml wheat beer

— crusty bread, to serve

Rinse the mussels in cold water. Scrub them thoroughly and tug out any beards that may be hanging from the shells. Discard any broken mussels, and those that are open and refuse to close when tapped against the edge of the sink. Keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the bacon and cook until crisp, then add the onion, potatoes, garlic and tarragon sprigs. Now tip in the mussels, pour in the beer and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, remembering that the mussels are salty.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and steam for a few minutes, shaking the pan from time to time, until all the mussels have opened. Discard the few that refuse to open. Serve sprinkled with the tarragon leaves and offer bread to soak up the delicious juices.