If you want to upset a Belgium foodie you must describe his national potato dish as chips or suggest that the best way to prepare mussels is to boil them in water. Because if there is one thing the Belgians do better than most it is to make frites. And yes, it is similar to chips as most of us know it, but it's like comparing a Toyota to a Ferrari!

Not that frites are difficult to make — you just have to do it right!

And as for preparing mussels in boiling water (yes, I promise you, I know people who do it this way and they refuse to change), it's enough to drive a mussel-loving Belgian — and any self-respecting West Coaster — to tears.

While there are various ways of doing it, fresh black mussels should always be steamed. It really is a non-negotiable. What you flavour the steam with is up to you.

One of the best mussels meals I have ever enjoyed was on the West Coast with two local fishermen and all we had was a jug of cheap white wine and a bag of mussels. We simply poured a glass or two of wine into a potjie, brought it to the boil and then dumped all the mussels in the pot for a just enough time for them to open… it was superb, even without any fancy ingredients, salt or pepper, although we would have happily swopped half our wine for a loaf of bread to soak up the mussel and wine juices!

Mussels are easy to love. They are cheap, easy to prepare, inexpensive and quite readily available, so join me and I'll show you how easy it is to prepare a pot of mussels and to serve it with delicious Belgian frites.

You will need the following for four people:

Ingredients:

Instructions:

In a large pot place all the ingredients, except for the mussels, and bring to the boil Add the mussels, replace the lid and let it steam for about three minutes. Shake the pot well.

Continue steaming for another three to four minutes or until all the mussels have opened.

Discard any unopened mussels.

Spoon the mussels on a large serving dish and pour the remainder of the juices and vegetables over the mussels.

Serve with crusty French bread.

For the frites you will need:

Rinse the sliced potato under cold running water then dry well. Fill a large chip pan about half full with cooking oil. When the temperature gets to 170°C place the frites in a chip basket and ease it into the hot oil.

Fry for about five minutes or until just done. Remove from oil, empty the basket on newspaper to get rid of the excess oil. Allow frites to cool.

When ready to serve heat the oil to 190°C and re-fry the frites until crispy on the outside and creamy inside.

The frites are best served well salted with a good dollop of mayonnaise on the side — and if it's homemade, so much the better!

Wine recommendation:

Mike of Wine Concepts suggests the Sterhuis Chardonnay 2007 (Stellenbosch) to go with the mussels. It costs R98.

This wine has a rich mélange of butterscotch, citrus fruit on the nose with classic toasty flavours on the palate leading to a long fresh creamy finish.

To order this, contact Wine Concepts.