Here comes another incredible recipe from my stay at Cloughjordan House and Cookery School. This recipe was started after Peter arrived in from the farm with a bucket of parsnips and beetroot that he had plucked straight from his vegetable garden, it doesn’t get more farm to fork fresh than that! We took a stroll through the vegetable garden after the class and dreamed of a little vegetable garden of our own… One day! For now though these amazing beetroot and parsnips crisps will fill the void.

If you’re a fan of the humble crisp (who isn’t?!), or “chip” if you’re American, then you really need to try these. They’re so easy to make and great if you’re having a party or guests over. We enjoyed these with hummus but they are equally delicious on their own. To say they were inhaled is an understatement. If you don’t have a deep fryer you can use a deep frying pan filled with oil, or even coat the vegetable slices in oil and oven bake them. You can also use any root vegetable you want: carrots, butternut squash, carrots and of course potatoes. Try these this weekend!

Ingredients

1 large parsnip, scrubbed clean

1 large raw beetroot, peeled

Oil for deep frying

Sea salt

1. Using a mandolin or other fine vegetable peeler, cut the parsnip and beetroot into wafer-thin slices, then pat the vegetables strips dry on kitchen paper.
2. Heat approximately an 8cm depth of oil in a deep-fat fryer or heavy pan to 180C (be really careful of the hot oil).
3. Deep fry the vegetables a handful at a time for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden and just starting to crisp. Stir them around in the oil to ensure that they cook evenly and don’t stick together.
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetable crisps to a tray lined with kitchen paper and immediately sprinkle with sea salt.
5. Leave them to dry, they will continue to crisp as they dry. Serve them as soon as possible.