Guinness-Beer-Battered Cod and Chips

For the chips:
Slice potatoes into even-sized sticks. Mine were about ¼ by ¼ inch thick. Place in a bowl of ice water once cut. Allow to sit for 5–10 minutes. Drain water and blot off excess water that remains on potato sticks.

For frying, I used a countertop fryer, but you can use a Dutch oven or even a large cast iron skillet. Heat oil to 375ºF. Drop ¼ of chips into fryer. Allow to cook for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, pull them out of hot oil using a slotted spoon or kitchen spider and drain on paper towel. They will only be par-cooked at this point. Cook the rest of chips in the same fashion.

Once they are all par-cooked and drained, put them back in fryer the same way. Cook ¼ of batch at a time and cook until crispy and golden. Scoop chips out of oil, drain on paper towels and immediately season with salt to your liking. It is crucial to salt while hot out of fryer.

For the fish:
Heat oil to 375ºF. Once again, I used a table top fryer, but you can use whatever you are comfortable with. A Dutch oven or cast iron skillet is fine too.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add beer. Whisk until smooth. Allow mixture to sit for at least 10 minutes.

Put cornstarch into a shallow bowl. Dredge fish in cornstarch. Dip fillets into batter and allow excess batter to run off. This step is important because if you don’t let the excess run off, fillets will be too thick and won’t cook through properly.

Carefully slip fillets into hot oil. Allow to cook on one side for 3–4 minutes. Flip over and allow to cook on the other side for another 3–4 minutes.

Once cooked, place fillets on a paper towel to drain. Serve immediately.