The root of a great meal

I do love potatoes, but sometimes it’s fun to ring the changes and serve something a little different as a side dish.

So, enter carrot and parsnip chips! Prepared in the same way as roast potatoes but just using different root vegetables. A grind or two of salt and a dash of olive oil, and into the oven they went for about one hour, turning approximately every 20 minutes. You could also try beetroot, kohlrabi or sweet potato.

All root vegetables are healthy (including potatoes) but consuming a variety of different vegetables is associated with a more diverse gut microbiome (the population of bacteria which resides in our guts), which is in turn associated with better health outcomes.

Parsnips are a great source of fibre, vitamin C, folate, manganese and copper. They are higher in fibre than potatoes but contain less vitamin C (this is why a variety of foods is best so you can get the benefits of the different vegetables!).

Carrots also contain fibre and vitamin C, and their orange colour indicates the presence of carotenes, compounds that may have benefits for eye health and may be protective against cancer.

Carrots and parsnips are delicious with parsnips providing a sweet nutty taste, and this dish can be served alongside any main dish where you might serve potatoes, including chicken, fish or beef.