Forget potatoes: the natural buttery sweetness of these delicious parsnip fries pairs beautifully with the exotic spiciness of a harissa mayo. Frying them in tallow, which is high in conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, gives them a golden, crunchy exterior.
As you know, I’m a big fan of saturated fats — I think we NEED them in our diet for optimal health. Saturated fats aid calcium absorption and bone health, protect your liver, support strong lungs, and play a critical role in cognition and nerve communication. Basically, if you don’t have enough saturated fat in your diet, you can’t feel your very best, and these fries are the perfect way to get more of it into your diet!
Maybe you’re familiar with lard and coconut oil, but I wanted to share this recipe because it features a lesser-known saturated fat that I love to cook with: tallow. Tallow is rendered beef fat, and it’s incredibly versatile and nutritious. Plus it has a nice mild flavor.
I choose grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic-free tallow, which can definitely get a bit pricey, which is why I get tallow, coconut oil, coconut manna, and lard from Thrive Market. They offer many of the products I use every day at a discounted price. For instance, in this recipe I used Fatworks Tallow, which would be around $17 a jar at a regular health food store. By buying it from Thrive Market I save more than $3 per jar. And it’s delivered to my front door!
Back to the fries … beyond the awesome health benefits, tallow makes these parsnip fries crisp and delicious. Parsnips are not typically a kid and family favorite, but when cooked this way, these are inexpensive and delicious.
With kids, dipping sauces are like magic. They get kids to love foods they normally wouldn’t like. We never eat vegetable oils, so store-bought mayo is out, but homemade mayo or healthy pre-made mayo (this is the only one I’ve found) is an awesome alternative …
Sriracha is popular these days, but when it comes to versatile spicy condiments, harissa reigns supreme. Though traditional recipes for this North African spice blend vary from region to region, all versions share a deep, earthy flavor. This recipe combines harissa’s aromatic warmth with the rich, creamy mayonnaise to create a perfectly balanced dip.
Parsnip Fries with Harissa Mayo Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
For the Fries:
- 2½ lbs parsnips
- 1 qt grass-fed tallow (for frying)
- sea salt
- smoked paprika
For the Mayo:
- ½ cup fire-roasted roasted red peppers (patted dry)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 TBSP tomato paste
- 2 tsp chili powder
- ¾ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp caraway seeds
- ½ a lemon (juiced)
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 large pinch salt
Instructions
To make the fries:
- Peel the parsnips and cut them lengthwise into fry-sized sticks.
- Put the fries into a large bowl of cold water and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
- Heat the tallow in a heavy bottomed pot to 325°F or until the oil bubbles around the handle of a wooden spoon. Careful, it’s hot!
- Drain and pat dry the fries with a paper towel.
- Work in batches to fry parsnips until they turn light gold in color, around 3 – 4 minutes.
- Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
- When all the parsnips have been fried, increase the heat to 375°F and fry them in batches a second time. This allows the fries to get perfectly crispy.
- Remove from oil, drain on a paper towel, and season immediately with sea salt and smoked paprika.
- Snack, savor, and enjoy hot with the harissa mayo.
To make the Mayo:
- Combine the red peppers, garlic, tomato paste, and spices in a small food processor.
- Blitz until smooth.
- Stir in the lemon juice and mayonnaise.
- Season to taste with salt and store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Notes
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What are you tricks for getting your children to love unusual vegetables? Please share below!
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