Parsnips
Parsnips are a cream-colored root in the carrot family, prized for a sweet, nutty flavor that deepens after exposure to cold -- frost converts stored starches into sugar. They're a cornerstone of British and French root-vegetable cooking.
How to buy
Choose firm, smooth parsnips, small to medium in size; larger ones often have a tough, woody core that needs trimming out. Avoid any that are limp, soft, or heavily cracked.
How to store
Refrigerate in a bag in the crisper drawer, where they keep 2-3 weeks much like carrots. Keep away from excess moisture, which encourages soft spots.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Sweet and earthy with a nutty, slightly peppery bite raw, related to both carrot and celery in the same botanical family. Roasting caramelizes the natural sugars into a deeper, almost dessert-like sweetness.
- Texture
- Firm and dense raw. Becomes starchy and tender when cooked, similar to a sweeter potato; larger roots can have a fibrous, woody core worth cutting away.
- Aroma
- A mild, sweet, earthy smell with a faint peppery sharpness raw that fades with cooking.
How to prepare
- Roasted — Cut into wedges or sticks and roasted until caramelized at the edges and soft inside.
- Mashed — Boiled until tender and mashed, often with butter, for a sweeter alternative to mashed potato.
- Pureed into soup — Simmered and blended into a smooth, naturally sweet soup base.
- Shaved raw into slaw — Cut into thin ribbons or matchsticks for a crunchy raw salad.
- Fried into chips — Sliced thin and fried or baked until crisp as a sweet, savory snack.
Classic dishes
American
- Candied parsnips — Parsnip rounds simmered in butter and brown sugar until glazed and tender, a holiday side.
- Parsnip and apple soup — A pureed soup combining parsnip's earthiness with apple's sweetness.
- Maple-roasted parsnips with thyme — Roasted parsnip wedges finished with maple syrup and fresh thyme.
- Parsnip fries — Parsnip cut into batons and roasted or fried until crisp outside and tender inside.
- Parsnip latkes — Grated parsnip bound with egg and flour, then pan-fried into crisp cakes.
French
- Velouté de panais — A classic French veloute soup made by simmering and pureeing parsnip with cream.
- Gratin de panais — Sliced parsnip baked in cream with a browned cheese crust.
- Root vegetable gratin with gruyère — Thin layers of parsnip and other roots baked in cream under a gruyère crust.
British & Irish
- Roasted root vegetables — Parsnips roasted alongside carrots and potatoes as a staple Sunday roast side.
- Parsnip and carrot mash — Boiled parsnip and carrot mashed together with butter for a sweet, smooth side dish.
- Cream of parsnip soup — A smooth, pureed soup built from simmered parsnip, onion, and stock.
- Honey-roasted parsnips — Parsnip wedges roasted with honey and butter, a Christmas dinner staple.
- Parsnip crisps — Thin parsnip slices fried or baked until crisp, served as a snack or garnish.
- Cawl — A traditional Welsh stew of lamb or bacon simmered with parsnip, leek, and other root vegetables.
- Shepherd's pie with parsnip mash topping — A variation on shepherd's pie that swaps or blends in mashed parsnip for the potato topping.
Substitutions
- Carrots — Carrots are sweeter and less peppery than parsnip; use in equal amounts for mashes, roasts, or soups, though the result will be noticeably milder.