Ingredients (serves 4):
1 litre(1 3/4 pts) olive oil
4 large sweet potatoes
2 ripe avocados, flesh finely diced
1 red onion, finely diced
20 mint leaves, finely sliced
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 smoked chicken breasts, finely diced
4 tbsps mayonnaise or crème fraîche
salt & milled pepper
100 ml (3 floz) balsamic vinegar, boiled until reduced by two-thirds
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsps black olive tapenade
50 g (2 oz) roasted pine nuts
1 small bunch chervil

Preheat the oven to 120 °C (250 °F), in case you need it (see below)
Heat the olive oil to 150 °C (300 °F) in a deep-fryer or heavy saucepan. Use a mandoline to slice the sweet potato lengthwise into very thin strips. Deep fry these until golden and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper. If the sweet potato strips are too soft, lay them out on a baking tray and place in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until crisp.
Place the avocado, onion, mint leaves, garlic, chicken and mayonnaise or crème fraîche in a mixing bowl and use a spatula to carefully mix them together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serving is rather fun, as there are no set rules other than to put 2 or 3 layers of crisps and a portion of smoked chicken mixture onto each plate, then pour over 1-2 teaspoons of syrupy balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Finish each plate with a small spoonful of black olive tapenade, a sprinkling of pine nuts, a few springs of chervil, and salt and pepper if required.