Fish and Chips

The ingredients are basic, so freshness counts. Use good potatoes and very fresh fish; a white one such as cod, flounder, sole, whiting, or halibut is best. Although floury russets are more like typical Irish potatoes, yellow-fleshed potatoes such as Yukon Gold make excellent chips, too. Real lard (not the super-processed, supermarket stuff) does impart a flavor and a perfect finish, but corn, canola, or peanut oil are perhaps more practical as well as good for frying at high temperatures.<