Salad with Fried Parsnip Garnish

Try fried parnips! They add a wonderful, slighly sweet crunch to any salad. A perfect alternative for anyone who can't eat nuts.

My husband and I were very recently introduced to this wonderful salad accompaniment by our son-in-law who is a chef.

Directions:

Simply take a potato peeler and peel a parsnip root as you could a carrot. Then, using the peeler, and with a little additional pressure, peel the parsnip into wide strips from bottom to top. Place the strips (which should be about 1 inch or so wide at the base to perhaps a half inch at the top) in a stack. Take a sharp chef's knife and cut them on the bias into julienne strips about 1/8 inch wide. Toss the strips with a little flour, just enough to coat, add a little salt and pepper and then fry them in a very small sauce pan with about a half inch of canola oil preheated over medium-high heat. Add them in small batches so you don't over-crowd. Fry them until they turn a light golden brown and then drain on paper toweling. Use immediately or, you can preapre them ahead and reheat in a warm oven.