• 1 pound parsnips
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose or gluten-free flour (experiment with adding other seasonings to taste)
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups canola, coconut, or other vegetable oil; or lard

Peel and cut parsnips in half, then quarter the thicker end. The thin part of the parsnip can stay whole. (For even frying, try for as much uniformity as possible.)

Put flour and seasonings in a paper bag and shake to mix. Add parsnips and shake well to coat. Prepare a landing area for the finished fries with a draining rack and paper towels.

Put the oil in a heavy frying pan over a medium-high flame and heat until it shimmers a little, but before it smokes. (If you have a deep-fry thermometer, the oil temperature should be in the 360-375 degree neighborhood. If you are unsure simply add a test parsnip; you should see immediate frying action.) Without crowding the pan, add a batch of the parsnip pieces and fry, turning occasionally with tongs or a skimmer, until golden brown on all sides. Carefully moderate the flame so that frying is continual, but not too aggressive.

Drain fries on a rack or brown paper or paper towels. Pat them on top with paper towels to remove excess oil. Let them stand a few minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper if you like.

Serves 3 – 4, as a snack or side

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N.E. Sheehan holds degrees in Journalism, Food Science & Nutrition and has had a 30-year career in radio sales, broadcasting, and newspaper reporting. She currently has a big bag of parsnips in her fridge ready to fry!