I've never been happy with oven fried potatoes, either the frozen ones from a bag, or fresh-made ones out of real potatoes. They're never crispy enough, and are always vaguely mealy. Plus they're often coated in enough oil that you might as well have deep-fried them.
Recently a recipe from Smitten Kitchen had me toast some parsnips cut into matchsticks in the oven, and they were surprisingly crispy and chewy. So tonight I tried making "parsnip oven fries" for the first time, and they worked really well. Here's a recipe.
Parsnip Oven Fries
- 3 or 4 large parsnips, from 2 to 3 pounds
- 2-3 Tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp salt, plus more for serving
Heat the oven to 425F.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil or silicone. Coat it with the olive oil.
Peel and trip the parsnips. Cut them into 2" to 3" sections, and then slice those sections lengthwise into sticks, around 1/4" thick. Thinner is better here, but the most important thing is consistent thickness. Toss the sticks on the baking sheet, making sure they are evenly spaced, and not at all crowded. Sprinkle them lightly with the salt.
Put them in the oven for 18 minutes. Take them out, turn the baking sheet and toss the sticks gently with a spatula, so they get mixed around and turned over a bit (but still not crowded). Put them back in for 10 minutes.
Check them. If most of them are brown on the edges, a few are completely brown, and some of the thinner ones are curling up, then you're done. More likely, you'll shake them around a bit more, put them back in the oven, and cook for another 6 to 12 minutes.
They should be done now. Take them out, toss them in a bowl with more salt if desired, and serve with ketchup, aioli, or BBQ sauce.
