So here I was, thinking that I was the only one who had a thing for parsnip.
Little did I know, there’s a whole world of parsnip lovers out there, including my good blogging buddy Charles over at Five Euro Food, who posted a dazzling post on fried parsnip chips within a few hours of my waxing philosophical about the little white root. Who knew there was so much collective affection for this humble (yet extraordinarily tasty) vegetable?
Here’s some other exciting news. I bought a kitchen gadget. Need more? It actually works. I tend to shy away from gadgetry because I generally have a sneaking suspicion that I can do a better job with my hands, and that the gadget will just end up occupying space until I finally get around to putting it out at our annual garage sale.
But let me just say, this hand-held mandoline was worth every penny. A mandoline is a fancy name for a slicer – but it’s the speed, precision and efficacy of the slice that will have your head spinning.
Just have a look at these paper-thin puppies.
C’est pas beautiful ca? It took me about 10 seconds to slice these parsnip chips and there is no way in the good heavens that I could ever slice that quickly or thinly, with my hands. So I am completely at peace with my purchase.
In case you’re interested: Good Grips Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer by Oxo – it cost me $23.99. Worth all of it and more.
Ok, on to the recipe.
Oven-Baked Sweet Potato & Parsnip Chips
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2 sweet potatoes
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2 parsnips
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2-4 Tbsp olive oil
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Seasonings as desired (I used sea salt, cracked pepper and chili)
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Heat oven to 275 F.
Thoroughly wash exterior of sweet potatoes and parsnips. Leaving skin on (where plenty of nutrients reside), set your mandoline to the thinnest slice setting, and proceed to slice the 4 vegetables (it will take only a couple minutes).
If you do not have a mandoline, choose a nice sharp knife and aim for the thinnest slice possible.
The advantage of the paper-thin slice is that it ends up curling – much like a chip.
The disadvantage of the super thin slice, if there is one, is that the vegetable becomes almost translucent and loses some of its beautiful colour when baked. If your slices are slightly thicker, you will retain some of this colour.
Place your potato and parsnip slices together in a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil and whatever seasonings you like: cumin, chili, coriander, curry, paprika, pepper, rosemary, sea salt, thyme, etc. Mix together with a spoon or your hands to combine. You want to have enough oil on the veggie slices to prevent sticking but not too much such that it will give rise to sogginess.
Lay the slices out on a foil lined baking sheet such that they are not touching (if they overlap, they will remain soggy and they won’t crisp up). You may need to use a couple baking sheets.
Cook veggie chips for about 35 minutes, or until they are nice and crispy, flipping them over around the halfway mark. You will want to keep an eye on them to ensure that they are not over-cooking (oven temperatures and cooking times will vary depending on thickness and size of slices, etc.).
A perfect, all natural, game day munchy ~ enjoy!
Yesss, I love parsnips. I ‘discovered’ them just this past fall, and regret my years not cooking these tasty roots! I’ve made sweet potato chips, but slicing them on my own, and they definitely didn’t turn out as beautiful as yours! I will definitely try parsnip chips next!
Those look awesome. I think the mandolin probably makes all the difference. We had one but it was hard to use. I think the blade wasn’t sharp enough (it had a hard time with potatoes). I’ll have to check yours out. Thanks for the suggestion.
I’ve made potato chips, but really have not used parsnips. I’m interested in trying this out. I’m not a gadget person either but do have mandoline too and really love it. Nice presentation. They look like they were deep fried!!
Thanks so much – you can experiment with all kinds of different vegetables here and take advantage of the different nutrients they provide.
Thanks France – many commentators have said the same thing… the tendency is to jack up the temperature for roasting veggies, but with this sliver thin chips, it’s best to go low temp.
I agree; I’m so in love with parsnip these days… ;-) and… my new mandoline is such a treat! Thanks Magic.
Thank you so much for dropping by – I hope you enjoy them if you give them a try… have a great day.
amazing recipe. sweet potatoes are a great source of fibre, proteins and vitamins. couldn’t be healthier. thanks for the recipe.
I’m going to keep both of these stories in mind and will use the mandoline with only the utmost of respect and patience (patience not being my strong suit!). ;) Ouch!!! Your poor finger! I don’t cut myself too often – but I do manage to burn myself all the time. Still have a good burn healing on my hand from that johnnycake! LOL.
Oh my goodness! I’m wincing just thinking about that Charles! Eeek!
Wow these look great. Your healthy recipe are always inspirational to me. I have tried making veggie chips in the past with not a ton of luck but I think the temp was too high judging by your recipe. Thanks!
These look great and I love that they are baked :) Best thing about winter are the root vegetables :) Oh, and I could not live without my mandoline ;)
What a wonderful snacK! I’d love to have some!
Thanks so much for dropping by Food Fashion and Flow! I love sweet patates too but I have to say parsnip is delighting me these days and may even be more flavourful! ;-) Hope you enjoy…
These look so good! I love sweet potato fries and I know this is just as delicious. Perfect alongside a sandwich. I must must must must try this!
Charles, how horrible! I’m not sure what I’m more worried about – the sharpness of the blade or the eventual dulling ;-) Can you buy replacement blades or sharpen the blade somehow?
I love it too! Thanks Kim – I hope it lasts a while… have a great Sunday beauty :)
Ah Jen, you’re a clever woman. You know what they say, you get what you pay for and I suspect that I’ll get a mere $23. worth ;=) Waffle fry slices? You must share your vision… :)
Charles, it was your post that got me to buy a mandoline! I had seen some gorgeous results with vegetables on Smitten Kitchen using a mandoline but never made the leap until I saw your post… that was it for me :) So thank you so much for introducing me to this wondrous gadget (now if I could just restore feeling in my index finger ;-)
I suspect your deep-fried chips have a heartier texture and are crunchier than mine – I would describe mine as delicate crispy – kind of like an autumn leaf ;-)
I’m in love with my mandoline however, I am curious to see how long it remains in razor sharp shape… Jen below points out that OXO blades dull quickly… (the $23 deal may be too good to be true!)
They can be finicky – I made 3 different batches and got different results each time… the good news is that they are tasty no matter the crisp factor ;-)
Hello Food Jaunts! The parsnips kind of snuck up on me too… I have traditionally used sweet potato and kale. These are a surprising yummy switch-up. Hope you enjoy. Have a great Sunday :)
Thanks Parsley Sage – I can’t get over how flavourful parsnip is… a real delight!
–Kelly,
I LOVE that gadget. I must get one :) How lovely the chips turned out. Yummmms. xxxxx
My Inner Chick http://myinnerchick.com
Oh good! You can be my guinea pig! The reviews on the OXO mandolines all said the blade got dull very quickly – so you’ll have to let me know after a few months if you’re still digging it! I have visions of waffle fry slices myself…
Well, darn – these look great… I wouldn’t have bothered with all the deep-frying if I’d known you could get such a perfect result in the oven :D I’ll have to try this the next time I can find some parsnips – I’m really curious as to how different (or not) they might be from the fried version.
I suppose you can do the same with potatoes, can you?
I love this idea for a healthy snack, I got to get one of the mandolins.
Great snack idea, Kelly! I made sweet potato chips once and I didn’t yet have a mandoline and they didn’t all crisp up like I had hoped. I have one now though and I want to give them a try again!
I’ve made sweet potato chips but never thought about a parsnip version. DOH! I’ve been missing out – I’ve got to make these soon, they sound like the perfect snack or side. Thanks!
5 stars for these yummy chips! I’m totally down with parsnips and I clearly need a mandolin!
Thanks Karen – parsnip love unite! :)
Haha, you will love the mandoline Joanne!! I can’t wait to see your creations with it…
Thanks so much Anne – to be honest, I just started observing some to the compositions on my favourite food sites which seemed to help but you know, I’m never sure what will make it and want won’t until it actually appears (or not) :) Feel free to touch base by email if you wish.
Cheers, k.
Mammoth chips work :) Have a great day Eliot!
Thank you Angie… I played around with beets briefly but think I might have to do some dehydrated (or drying out) to succeed there. Have a great day!
Hi Eva, I’m glad you like this version too. Charles and I chatted about it and thought it would be worthwhile to offer up both possibilities. Charles’ post was great too.
Yes, it’s a fine balance between just enough olive oil so they don’t stick and not too much to prevent sogging up… just a light coating and low temps. Cheers Junia!
Thanks so much Judy – keeping the temperature low seems to make all the difference; I hope they work out well for you if you give them a try.
Thanks Jeanette – they sure went down easy! We all loved them.
Thanks so much Ping – I hope they work for you; do let me know if you make them :)
Thank you Mandy! Have a great day :)
Thanks Alyssa – keeping the temperature low is key. It’s deceiving because normally, cooking potatoes/veg in the oven calls for a much higher temp – with these thin slices your taking you chances going over 300 or so (depending on thickness of slice).
Haha, kale chips are pretty wonderful too…. the last time I made them though, I added vinegar and they ended up a soggy (though still tasty) batch! Thanks for dropping by Denise!
Thanks so much Chris…we certainly enjoyed them and were pleasantly surprised by how the earthy, sweet taste of the parsnips came shining through…
Thanks Kay – Charles recipes and post write-ups are always great. Hope you’re having a super weekend.
They are truly worthwhile… so glad I got one :)
Cheers Lisa; I hope you’re having a great weekend.
Yes, the temperature is critical to success – I did try at a higher temperature (being the kitchen impatient soul that I am) but they burnt pretty quickly. Thanks for dropping by Suzi!
Ah, yes… mine is currently razor sharp (see reply to Kristy below for further details on the downside to razor sharp ;-) My arm wasn’t hurting, but my finger was :0)
I’m a parsnip fan as well. They have such a great sweet, earthy flavor. I will have to get my mandolin out soon.
My life is just not going to be complete without these chips. Which means it’s also not going to be complete without a mandoline! Need.To.Buy.
Kelly…these chips look awesome! Such a perfect sweet and slightly salty treat! You know…I’ve yet to get a mandoline. I guess I always thought they were more expensive than that! And I love OXO products…so I will have to pick one up! Also…what a beautiful Food Gawker gallery you have. I’m going to have to pick your brain about some things….. : )
But it’s really very basic and not comfortable (at least twice as small), hence the basic price. I’m sure one day I’ll buy a better one with protection for fingers, different cutting options etc.
Still have a few monster sweet potatoes so I am going to try this recipe. I will end up with mammoth chips.
I had tried root beet chips before and loved them. These look fantastic.
You just KNOW I’m going to make these! Absolutely AMAZING, Kelly. Not that I didn’t LOVE Charles’ deep fried versions, but I’m all about healthier choices. Thank you! I absolutely LOVE my mandoline too! I bet there isn’t a week I don’t use it at least 3 times!
i love veggie chips! i have a hard time getting them to be super crispy though… parnips and sweet potatoes rock my world :)
haha, I was thinking that very thing Sissi – a parsnip collective of sorts ;0.
4 times cheaper, seriously? And here I was thinking $25 was a steal! Thrilled to have though… cannot get over how useful :)
Kely, you should create together with Charles the parsnip appreciation society ;-) Seriously your chips look gorgeous and I bet they taste heavenly. I also use a mandolin very often, but mine was 4 times cheaper I think and has served me very well for years.
Gorgeous photos, really well done! Love this idea, will be trying these soon.
Wow, these look so light and airy – love these healthier version of potato chips.
Haha!! Very good – there must be some deal in there somewhere… Le Willi Waller 2006…
(just watched it again… HI.LA.RI.OUS!!!!)
I can’t wait to watch the super bowl adds and the post game hysteria interviews… I still remember splitting a gut at your place in Toronto with R and his delicious game day chili! :)
Bon weekend mon amie!
C’est très, très beautiful ¸ca! Good one Kelly! An old classic «tête à clack» line… OMG, funny!
On a serious note, these chips look fab! Healthy guilt free chips … I got to get me a Mandoline!
Happy Super Bowl!
ps: I guess that fancy bowl doesn’t come free if you buy 2 Mando’s?
Lynn
Love it Sally! Yes, have heard the flea expression many times ;-)
Ooooh, the eagerly awaited post! Thanks for putting this up so soon :D Time to go get some parsnips!
I forgot to mention in the post that the blade is razor sharp – and yes, I managed to cut a wedge out of my index finger (cut the dickens out of my finger :) But I was being a little over-zealous and careless. If you’re careful, you’ll be fine! (I cut myself frequently in the kitchen because I’m always going too fast…).
Simple and delicious.
:-) Mandy
Your baked chips look perfect. I have tried TONS of times to get baked chips right, but they always burn or turn out soft in the center. I would like to try parsnips though, that sounds good!
Parsnip chips??? Oh my I have to try these. I adore parsnips. These might give our favorite Kale Chips, some competition! I think the combo of parsnips and sweet potato chips sounds great!
Kelly, these are not only beautiful but look amazingly delicious! I cannot wait to make them! And thanks for the tip about the mandolin – I have a really nice one but lost one piece of it so it is now useless – will have to check out this one for sure!
After reading Charles’ post I was planning to by a mandoline. Was it hard (or scary) to use? These might also be just the thing to introduce me to parsnips. :)
I LOVE this recipe. I loved Charles parsnip recipe and I absolutely love yours as well Kelly.. Delish!
What fun chips! Now…to purchase a mandoline.
I’m am seeing these everywhere! Funny how you and Charles had the samething on your mind and I too was going to make some this weekend to post for next week, he he he! They look great!
THAT’S what I ve been doing wrong all along, then….
I am giving your method a try, I do have the same kind of mandoline you do…
C’est superb! Je suis excitee comme une puce…. (do they use this expression in Canada? Not sure I butchered the spelling, though… :-)
I love these chips. I haven’t tried the parsnips but I am going to. I was wondering about the 275 temperature, but I see you explained it in another comment. I may have to set my oven a bit higher to cook them crispy for the 35 minutes. I usually have to for some reason. This is a great game day treat. I will let you know how they turn out. Thanks.
Great minds think alike…I just used my “new” mandoline and made sweet potato chips this week! The mandoline was some good quality one my mom got for free, but it must have been sitting around for a while before it got to me and I think the blade is dull. After hearing your description of how easily you slide the veggies across the blade, something tells me I need to get a better one. My arm was hurting, I had to push so hard.
Anyway, these look tasty!
You know, I’m so glad you mentioned that (and I might add it to the post), I was so tempted to jack up the heat because I’m accustomed to cooking sweet potato fries in the 425 range – but it’s all about the thickness of the slice – if they are quite thin, they will burn at a high temp – if they are thick you could get away with going a bit higher. I cannot say enoough good things about the mandoline ;-)
Haha, they work well as a side… ;-)
Thanks Lacy – good question! You want to have enough olive oil on the veggie slices so that they don’t stick to the foil when baking but be careful because too much oil interferes with crisping (they stay soggy) – just a thin layer should do it. You could also try spraying a small amount of oil on the foil or brushing it on. Hope this helps :)
I love parsnips and sweet potatoes…all root veggies, really. I’ve never had luck doing the oven chips thing but I think I was using too high a temperature so I will try your instructions. I’ve also been looking for an excuse to get a mandoline :)
OMG YUM! Why did I look at these when I was about to head home for dinner?! haha
Oh yum! This sounds delicious! Last time I tried something similar they got stuck to the tin foil on the pan. Any tips?