Parsnips roasted in butter and stock with parsley, chives, garlic, and a touch of horseradish.
Recently I had the pleasure of attending a fabulous class, taught by and in the home of local cooking maestra Evie Lieb.
In the class we covered many dishes, but my favorite was the Roasted Parsnips with Horseradish-Herb Butter.
I love these parsnips! Note to those who run from horseradish – try it anyway.
I can’t distinguish the horseradish from the flavors of the parsnips and butter, and neither could my parents until I told them what was in it. The flavors of the ingredients are a perfect complement to each other.
Do you have a favorite parsnip recipe? Please let us know about it in the comments. ~Elise
Roasted Parsnips Recipe
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Note that parsnips at the end of the season (February vs. November) can have a woodier center, which no amount of cooking can soften. If this is the case with your parsnips, you might want to cut some of the center part out and discard before cooking.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds of parsnips, peeled and cut into 2 1/2 inch batons
- 4 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup of stock – turkey stock, low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth (for vegetarian option)*
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 4 teaspoons drained, bottled horseradish (how to make homemade horseradish)
- 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 Tbsp minced chives
- 1/2 small garlic clove, minced.
*If cooking gluten-free, use homemade stock or gluten-free packaged broth.
Method
1 Roast the parsnips: Pre-heat oven to 400°F. In a large roasting pan, toss the parsnips with the olive oil, salt and pepper. (Use a roasting pan with sides no more than 2 inches high.)
Add the broth, cover with aluminum foil and roast, stirring once or twice, until the parsnips are tender and the stock has evaporated or been absorbed, 20-45 minutes (depending on how tender the parsnips are to begin with). Check often to avoid their getting mushy – especially if they are to be reheated later.
To save time, the parsnips (with the oil, salt, pepper, and broth) can be pre-cooked in a covered container in the microwave for 5 minutes. Transfer to oven to finish cooking in a much shorter time. You may want to uncover them to help evaporate the liquid when in the oven.
2 Make horseradish herb butter: Combine the softened butter with the horseradish, parsley, chives and garlic and season with salt and pepper.
3 Serve: Toss the warm roasted parsnips with the horseradish-herb butter to serve.
Adapted by Evie from a recipe by Grace Parisi in the November, 2004 issue of Food and Wine magazine.
