Lotus Root & Carrot Chips
Lotus Root & Carrot Chips
Pair these vegetable chips with a salty cheese like Époisses Berthaut.Reprinted from ©The Art of The Cheese Plate by Tia Keenan, Rizzoli, 2016. Photography © Noah Fecks. Click here to purchase your own copy.
Servings
4
Ingredients
- 1 medium lotus root
- 4 big, thick carrots
- 2 cup oil
Directions
- Peel 1 medium lotus root (about 1 pound). Cut crosswise into ¹⁄8-inch-thick slices with a mandoline or very sharp knife. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes.
- In a high-sided heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 cups oil over medium heat to 375°F.
- Choose 4 big, thick carrots (about a pound’s worth)—the bigger the better. Peel the carrots, but don’t trim the tops. With the stem closest to you, slice long ribbons of carrot with a vegetable peeler, rotating the carrot as you peel.
- Fry the carrots in four batches. Remove them from the oil when their color just starts to darken and drain on paper towels (the carrots will continue to cook as they drain, and crisp as they cool).
- Return the oil to 375°F after each batch. You don’t need to salt the carrot chips, as the Époisses will provide the salt in this pairing.
- Dry the sliced lotus root on paper towels. Fry the lotus root in the hot oil in batches of a dozen or so, until pale golden. Return the oil to 375°F after each batch.
- Drain the chips on paper towels. Again, there’s no need to salt. Carrot chips should be eaten the same day they’re made. Lotus chips can be made 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight, paper towel–lined container