Parsnip fries
Wed, 9 January, 2019
Chunky parsnip fries are the ultimate in deep fried, sweet and salty. Have them instead of potato chips for a healthier change.

When are fries fries?
All those fries called ‘fries’ that aren’t really fries are quite infuriating. Sweet potato fries have recipes galore to their name but not one does actually fry them. What the hell? Either fry the things or call them bakes, for chip’s sake.
I’m not saying they are not good products, those ‘fries’ – I’ve had some really delightful ones made from sweet or ordinary potatoes. But why not call them roasties if that’s what they are?
'FRIED' is a dirty word
It’s all lies and hypocrisy; we’re pretending to ourselves we’re eating something deliciously FRIED while smug in the knowledge it’s not the real thing. It’s the opposite of, say, pan-frying, pan-roasting and all those euphemistic expressions aimed at disguising the fact that the thing is, indeed, fried.
So basically we call non-fried things fried and fried things anything but. How weird is that?
Fried parsnip fries
Let me tell you: my parsnip chips are fried. FRIED. IN HOT OIL. LOTS OF IT. And that’s why I call them fries. And that’s not the end of it because they as it happens are also BAKED, so of all people frying bakes and baking fries I should be entitled to fib it a bit for Google’s sake.
But I prefer to call a fry a fry – provided it is one.
How to fry my parsnip fries
It's always a mystery to me why we're supposed to cut out the core from a parsnip - that middle, off-white centre bit. I'm pretty sure it's completely unnecessary but I never dare NOT cut it out when preparing my parsnips for roasting.
Here, let's be brave: just peel the parsnip (doesn't everyone just adore peeling parsnips or is it just me?) and cut them into stubby sticks, core and all.
Bake them before frying
Just like with my crunchy baked-fried chips, I bake the parsnip chips first. That's to soften them enough to cook relatively quickly in the deep oil. Just about twenty minutes will do the trick - just before they start to catch any colour.
Once baked, twice fried
The first dip cooks them, the second crispens and gets them ready for seasoning - and you want the seasoning to be gutsy so as suggested below, a mix of paprika, cayenne and salt should do the trick. Toss them in the seasoning mix after they leave the final oil bath - and they're ready to devour. And they keep crisp surprisingly long!
parsnip fries
Servings: 2Time: 1 hourRating: (1 reviews)
INGREDIENTS
- 3-4 large, fat parsnips
- 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
METHOD
1. Peel, top and tail the parsnips; cut them into fat chips. Rinse well with cold water to get rid of some of the starch.
2. Spread them on a sheet of parchment on an oven rack and bake for 20 minutes at 200C/400F/gas 6. Turn them over halfway through if you can be bothered. They should dry a little but not colour.
3. Preheat the oil in a chip pan or deep fat fryer to 190C/375F. Plunge the chips in without overloading the pan; you may need to do it in batches. Fry for about 10-15 minutes until they float up to the surface and colour light brown (the core will brown much sooner than the flesh of the parsnip if you do not trim it; not necessary but some people do). Lift the fries out of the pan and set aside until ready to plunge for the second time.
4. Mix the seasoning in a small bowl.
5. Return the oil to 190C/375F and dip the fries for only 3-5 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl lined with paper towels, then transfer to a serving bowl and toss well with the seasoning mix. They will stay crisp surprisingly long,
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Ok, it might depend on the parsnips.
Confused by this, no way do these parsnips need 15-20 minutes at 190c. They’ll be burnt to a crisp! When I tried this, they were done after less than 5 minutes in the fryer.
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