Parsnips? Really?

I still watch television and on one of the stations I watch there is a tidal wave of advertising for a product from Oprah Winfrey’s corporation called “O! That’s Good.”  They’re essentially reheatable (frozen?) side dishes.  The ad begins with Oprah saying that she loves mashed potatoes but “they don’t love her back.”  Conceptually, I’m having trouble with the idea of potatoes being asked to love the person eating them, but I think what she means is that potatoes aren’t very diet friendly.

Well, it isn’t the potato’s fault.  Frankly, potatoes are pretty boring unless they are jazzed up with some kind of fat that tastes good.  It’s the deep frying that makes french fries delicious and in the case of mashed potatoes, it’s the massive amounts of butter and milk (cream) that give them flavor (and calories).  Oprah replaces some (all?) of the potatoes with cauliflower and while it’s probably pretty good, I haven’t tried it.  I prefer to do my own cooking.

I’ve been substituting mashed parsnips for mashed potatoes for years (and have tried mashed turnips, too) and I can tell you with the authority of experience that not only are parsnips and turnips both better than potatoes, they also require a lot less doctoring to make delicious.  And since both have intrinsically less calories than potatoes and require less butter (and often no milk), well, you can do the math.

Parsnips are the ugly ducklings of produce sections.  In case you’ve never considered them before, they are the vegetables that look like white carrots.  Often, they have these really long, skinny tails, and sometimes they just look like ordinary, pale carrots.

I’ve had them roasted before and I often include parsnips in various soups and stews but my favorite preparation for them is mashed.  They are very sweet – sweeter even than carrots which already gives them a leg up on potatoes, which have almost no taste at all on their own.  One other advantage for parsnips is that they also have a little more water in them than potatoes, which means that when you puree them, you can often avoid having to add any liquid and they’ll still come out creamy.  With potatoes, it isn’t whether you add milk or not – it’s how much milk you have to add.  With parsnips, if they’re fresh they come out creamy right out of the blender.

Finally, parsnips absorb and reflect the flavor of spices really well.  I’ve toyed around with nutmeg, mace, sage, cinnamon, and tarragon and all have worked but they also all come through well in the overall flavor.  That’s not always the case with other vegetables.

Step one is to prepare the parsnips just like would would a carrot.  Slice off a bit of the top and bottom and peel, but if you can afford to spend another 10 minutes, don’t throw the peels away.  I’ll tell you why in a minute.  Cut the parsnips into chunks and toss into boiling water until they get soft – about 10-13 minutes.

While the parsnips are boiling, heat up a skillet with about 1/4″ of fat.  In the picture above I used bacon fat, but I’ve also used canola oil and olive oil with equal, if different success.  When the fat is hot, toss in a small handful of parsnip peels and stir them around for a bit.  Within 60-90 seconds, they will begin to turn brown and crisp up and you can remove them to a paper towel with a slotted spoon.  Repeat until you think you have enough.  These fried peels will add a few calories because of the fat, but the additional flavor and crunchiness will be worth it.  And the calories they add will be less than the milk and butter you don’t use because you’re cooking parsnips (which have their own flavor) and not potatoes (which don’t).

When the parsnips are done, puree or mash them, add a little butter and whatever spices you want.  I’ll give you an outline below, but feel free to experiment.  Plate, sprinkle with the fried peels and maybe some tarragon and you’ll have a better accompaniment to your steak or burger than any mashed potatoes you’ve ever tried before.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb peeled and chopped parsnips (save the peels)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbl butter

1-2 tbl milk (if necessary)

generous pinch of mace

generous pinch of sage

salt and pepper to taste

dried tarragon

Directions

Fill a large saucepan about 2/3 with water and set to boil.  When boiling, add the parsnips and cook until soft, about 10-13 minutes.

Heat the oil in a skillet until just on the verge of smoking.  Add the peels a handful at a time, stirring until they begin to turn brown and crisp up.  Remove to a paper towel with a slotted spoon to drain.

When the parsnips are soft, puree them in a food processor/blender or mash thoroughly in a bowl.  Add the butter and if necessary, the milk (skim milk works perfectly well here).  Puree again until smooth.  Add the spices, salt, and pepper to taste.

Plate and sprinkle with the fried peels and tarragon.  Serve hot.