Who doesn't love a crisp? I first tried these out thinking I was being very ‘cheffy’, but actually they are pretty simple and really delicious. I think they are entirely worth the effort piled on top of a bit of slow-cooked oxtail (see page 131) with some mustard cream to dip them in. This recipe involves deep-frying, which used to make me a bit nervous, but if you just fry small batches in a deep pan you’ll be fine. Keep a damp tea towel to hand just in case.
SERVES 6
• 1 litre vegetable or sunflower oil
• 2 parsnips
• salt
• smoked paprika
EQUIPMENT
• deep pan
• tongs
• slotted spoon or fish slice
Fill a deep pan one-third full of oil, then heat the oil over a high heat.
Meanwhile, peel strips off the parsnips with a vegetable peeler, the full length, and keep going all the way to the core. Test to see if the oil is hot enough by dropping in a parsnip strip. When it instantly sizzles you know it is ready.
Drop a handful of the parsnip shavings into the hot oil. It will immediately bubble up, as this is the water cooking off, give them a swirl with tongs and keep an eye on them. As they approach being ready they will bubble less and crisp up as all the water has been cooked out of them. They will turn golden quite suddenly and can burn quickly, so as soon as you see them starting to colour remove them with a large slotted spoon or fish slice and put them straight into a bowl lined with kitchen roll. This will soak up any excess oil. Make sure you have got all the scraps out, as they will burn. You can then move onto the next handful.
In between cooking the batches, sprinkle the ones that are ready with a light dusting of salt and smoked paprika. This clings better when they are still a bit warm. They should be super crisp and ready for snacking. If they are still slightly chewy you need to cook them for a touch longer. Keep them in a Tupperware container and they will stay crisp for a few days, but it’s more sensible to pile them on top of some Beer-braised Oxtail and Shin Stew (see page 131) and let your guests think you are very ‘cheffy’. Alternatively, eat them straight from the bowl with a beer.