For a gourmet twist on chips and dip, try delicious homemade parsnip chips served with a gutsy Spanish Catalan sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 medium-sized firm parsnips
• oil for deep frying
• salt for seasoning

Romesco Sauce Dip

• 2 slices white bread, roughly torn
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 red peppers, halved and deseeded
• 2 tomatoes, blanched and peeled
• ¼ cup almonds, toasted
• ¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned (see Cook\'s Tips)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tblsp tomato paste
• 2 tblsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tblsp balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Peel the skin off the parsnips, then peel each parsnip into thick wide slices.
2. Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large saucepan to 180ºC. When hot, add a small handful of parsnip slices. Don't overload the oil as the chips will become soggy. Cook, stirring occasionally until well-browned and crisp. Lift out with a holed spoon and drain on absorbent paper. Sprinkle with salt to season. Serve warm with the dip.

Romesco Sauce Dip

1. Cook the bread in the oil in a frying pan until crispy. Allow to cool. Place the red pepper halves on a foil-lined tray and grill under a high heat until blackened. Cool and then peel away the charred skin.
2. In a food processor, put the fried bread and the rest of the ingredient and process until smooth. Season if wished.

Cooks Tips

To skin hazelnuts, roast in a 180ºC oven for about 10 minutes until toasted. Cool and rub between your hands over a sink to let the skins fall away. Or, place the warm nuts on a clean dry tea towel and rub backward and forwards. Romesco sauce is also ideal with sliced ham on Christmas Day. It freezes well, so it can be made in advance.