Hello, From the Other Side
Hello, from California! Today, I’m comin’ at you with some Tri-Color Veggie Chips! BUT before I get into the goodness of it all, I thought I’d update you on my move to California.
I honestly still cannot believe that I’m in California. The fact that I’m staying with my sister makes this experience even more surreal because we usually don’t see each other for more than 2 weeks. One of the things that I love is how active my lifestyle is now. At school, I didn’t have a lot going on besides my classes. I worked out in the morning but didn’t do much throughout the day. Add in the brutally cold weather and you’ve got a recipe for staying in your dorm room 24/7. The warm weather in California definitely makes it more pleasing to go on a hike or a walk. Also, having an active job keeps me moving throughout day.
New Job Who Dis
Speaking of my job, I’ve been working for a few days now, so I’m still getting the hang of everything. However, once I settle into my role, I’ll definitely let you all know how it’s going and what I do. What I will say is that it’s definitely interesting to see a different side of the culinary world. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, all of my past jobs have been working in restaurants, so being on the creative end is so different. It’s cool to be surrounded by a different group of people and watch how ideas are produced for online content.
To sum up my move, I’m really enjoying my time in California so far. I miss my family and pup back in New York and felt a little homesick in the hours after I left. However, I’m enjoying my time with my sister, and I know this is an exciting new period in my life. Now, let’s move on to the Tri-Color Veggie Chips.
DIY Terra Chips
To make the Tri-Color Veggie Chips, I do think it’s best to use a mandolin. The mandolin will allow you to get the thinnest slices possible, but please watch out for your fingers! You can try to slice the vegetables with a knife, but realistically, I don’t think that will yield the best results.
These Tri-Color Veggie chips are basically a DIY version of the Terra Chips. They’re made from parsnips, beets, and sweet potatoes. And I’ll just say this now: they are addicting. Once you start eating them, you won’t be able to stop. This is a trio of sweet root vegetables, but they each offer a unique taste. The parsnips have a slight perfumed flavor, the beets have a concentrated sweetness that hits you right away, and the sweet potatoes have a light, sweet nuttiness. So even though all these chips are sweet, they each have a different type of sweetness. They’re finished with a simple sprinkling of salt. You can use a seasoned or flavored salt mix, but I just stuck with regular kosher salt. Though I kept it simple, the salt really enhances and balances out the sweetness from the chips.
These are very very dangerous to have in your house because they’re so good. This recipe makes a pretty large batch, but my family and I were finished it in about 2 days. So don’t say I didn’t warn you! Make these Tri-Color Vegetable Chips, and let me know how long the chips lasted in your house. Thanks, for tuning in today, and I’ll talk to you in my next post!
Tri-Color Veggie Chips
Ingredients
- 2 Large Parsnips
- 2 Medium Beets
- 1 Large Sweet Potato
- As Needed Frying Oil
- As Needed Kosher Salt or a Seasoned Flavored Salt
Instructions
- Wash all the vegetables, and peel the skin off of the beets. You can leave the skin on for the parsnips and sweet potato.
- Cut one end off of the sweet potato and beets so that they have one flat end. For the parsnips, trim off the end where the root is (the thicker end).
- Beginning with the parsnips, place the flat side onto the surface of the mandolin and slide it across. Adjust the mandolin so that it produces thin slices, about 1/16 inch thick. Continue to slice the parsnips until you get to the thinner end, and it becomes too difficult to slice. Move on to slice the sweet potatoes and then the beets, using the same process.
- Pour enough oil into a pot so that it is about 3 inches deep. Heat the oil on high heat and let it reach 350˚F.
- Once the oil has heated, begin frying the parsnips in batches, being careful to not overcrowd the pot. The parsnips should turn golden or a deep golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the parsnips from the oil with a slotted or mesh spoon and allow any excess oil to drain off. Then transfer the parsnips to a tray lined with paper towels, and sprinkle them with kosher salt or your favorite salt seasoning.
- After the parsnips have fried, begin frying the sweet potatoes in batches. They should take about 4-5 minutes to cook. Remove the sweet potatoes from the from the oil with a slotted or mesh spoon, and allow any excess oil to drain off. Then transfer them to a tray lined with paper towels. Season the sweet potatoes with kosher salt or your favorite salt seasoning.
- Lastly, fry the beets in batches. They should also take about 4-5 minutes to cook. Remove the beets from the from the oil with a slotted or mesh spoon, and allow any excess oil to drain off. Transfer them to a tray lined with paper towels. Season the beets with kosher salt or your favorite salt seasoning.
- After you have fried all of the vegetables, add them all to a large tray or bowl. Gently toss the chips together so that they are evenly distributed. Test the chips to see if they need more seasoning and enjoy!
