Fried Salsify

Salsifis frits (fried salsify) teaches the first law of batter: dry food holds a crust, wet food sheds it. Beneath that crisp golden shell, the root should remain pale, tender, and faintly earthy, sharpened by lemon and green parsley. Before you touch the frying pot, know the one true thing: the cooked lengths must be bone dry.

The original kitchen assumed cooked salsify waiting in the vegetable section, a bowl of Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) already prepared, batter mixed by another pair of hands, and a fryer held hot throughout service. At home, use one saucepan for the root, then one heavy pot for the frying. Two tablespoons of the finished marinade replace the brigade bowl, a thermometer replaces the practiced eye, and a wire rack replaces piles of service napkins. Those are scaffolding changes. The twenty-five-minute marinade, the thin batter, and the very hot fat are the dish and must stay.

Marinate the lengths, drain them, then press every side dry before coating. If the first piece loses its batter in the oil, don't sacrifice the rest. Ça se rattrape: dry the salsify again, correct the batter, and test once more. One cook, one stove, one evening.