Recipe | Salt & Vinegar Nettle Crisps

Photograph by Ali Allen

It’s hard to compete with crisps made from potatoes but these come close and they’re a wildly healthier swap – even better if you use a vinegar infused with other wild ingredients (such as wild garlic).

Serves 2-4

A few handfuls of nettle leaves, washed, drained and dried
Drizzle of olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
Spritz of apple cider, wine or malt vinegar

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/ Fan 160C/Gas 4. Lightly oil a baking sheet and arrange the nettle leaves in an even layer. Sprinkle with sea salt.

2 Bake for 5-10 mins, checking every 2-3 mins and moving around. Cook until deep green and crispy.

3 Allow to cool, which will help them crisp further. Finish with a spritz of vinegar (ideally from a spritzing bottle), or, gently shake a few drops of vinegar across the nettles instead.

This recipe is from our feature ‘Tipping Point’ from our March issue, in which Rachel de Thample shows us ways to eat saps, buds and shoots. Photography is by Ali Allen. The feature also includes recipes for Tree Sap Syrup, CleaversWater, Wild Salad, Nettle Falafel with Lemon Balm Yogurt and Horseradish Trout with Pea Wasabi.

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Recipe | Root Veg Peel Crisps with Truffle Oil

Veggie peelings are given a new lease of life, transformed into these crispy, crunchy snacks

Serves 2

2 large sweet potatoes
3 large beetroots
2 parsnips
1 garlic clove, grated
30ml truffle oil
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan160C/ Gas 4 and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Use a vegetable peeler to peel thin slivers of the veg and place in a bowl. Add the grated garlic, a few sprigs of rosemary, seasoning and the truffle oil. Mix with your hands and then transfer to the baking sheet, spreading it out as much as possible.

2 Cook for 25 mins, turning the peel over half way through. When the peel is crispy (but not burnt), remove from the oven, allow to cool, then transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with a few sprigs of rosemary and extra salt and pepper, if needed.

We recommend serving these root veg peel crisps alongside a mulled gin. Both recipes are from our feature It’s Crispmas! by Catherine Frawley, which you can find in the December issue, along with several more crisps and drinks recipes.

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Recipe | Vegetable crisps

Sweet roots turned into a wonderfully crunchy snack

Serves 6
3 large parsnips
3 large beetroots
3 large sweet potatoes
Vegetable oil
Sea salt
1 tbsp fennel seeds

1 Preheat oven to 150C/Fan 130C/ 300F. Line 4 baking sheets with baking parchment (or if short of space or trays, cook crisps in batches). 
2 In a small bowl, mix 3–4 tbsp of vegetable oil, the fennel seeds and a good grind of salt. Lightly brush the baking parchment with the oil mixture. Set aside.
3 Use a mandolin or vegetable slicer attachment on a food processor or, failing that, slice all the vegetables as thinly as possible. Use kitchen towel to pat slices dry.
4 Place the vegetable slices on your baking sheets, making sure they don’t overlap. Then lightly brush the crisps with the oil mixture.
5 Bake for 1 hour; after an hour, remove the parsnips, returning the beetroot and potatoes to the oven for another 30 mins. Cool on a rack, and store in an airtight container.

Turn to page 24 of August's The Simple Things for more of our picnic in the park menu, including:

• Build-your-own bruschetta 
• Hummus Kale & basil pesto
• Jumbo apple sausage rolls 
• Summer salad & orange dressing
• White chocolate & raspberry traybake 

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View the sampler here.

More from the August issue:

More summer picnic recipes: