These oven fries are delicious on their own with a little extra salt or you can add the lime-maple drizzle. If you have more than one pound of parsnips, use two large sheet pans instead of one. The parsnips will steam instead of roast if they are too crowded. One pound will just about fit on one large sheet pan and serve three people; use two pounds and two sheet pans to serve six. Parsnips come in unwieldy shapes so don’t worry about cutting perfect sticks; just aim to be as consistent as possible with thickness. Read more about parsnips here.

Serves 3 as a side dish

• 1 pound parsnips, trimmed, peeled, and cut into sticks 2 to 3 inches long and 3/8-inch/1-cm wide
• 2 generous tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (optional)
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)
• Sea salt or spiced salt for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large rimmed heavy-duty baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, combine the parsnip sticks with the olive oil and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Toss well and spread in one layer on the baking sheet. Roast until the “fries” are nicely browned (flipping with a spatula once) about 25 to 30 minutes. (If the pan is crowded, they can take up to 35 minutes. Check frequently as browning goes fast at the end.) Let cool for a couple minutes on the sheet pans and then sprinkle with more kosher salt, sea salt, or spiced salt. If using, combine the lime juice and maple syrup, drizzle over the fries, and season with coarse salt. Eat right away.