Parsnip & Apple

Second Woodlands Harvest!
back row: trowels and parsnips
front row: kale tops and spring onions

In my last post, I mentioned that my fellow plotters and I have gotten our beds ready for planting. I did not mention that prepping the beds also included harvesting! The photo is the haul the four of us split- a serious bunch of parsnips, a few spring onions each, and the tops of some sad kale plants! We all felt quite spoiled as none of us had planted these lovely veggies.

The parsnips were the first thing on my target list- I've never grown them before and I love their flavor. All root vegetables do well with roasting, but I wanted something a little different for these parsnips.  I decided to mix them with another fall/winter favorite- apples. I had made a leek-apple-parsnip soup before (delicious!) but I hadn't tried roasting the parsnip and apple together. I found a recipe from Martha Stewart as my starting point and winged it from there.

I must say, I am quite pleased with the results. In fact, a friend who came to dinner admitted halfway through the meal that she didn't like roast parsnips but was really enjoying these! It's always nice to have a confession turn into a compliment.  If you are looking for something a little different to serve alongside roast chicken or roast lamb (or anything, really), give these sweet and savory parsnips a try!

Roast Parsnips and Apples
Serves 4
modified from Martha Stewart

2 lbs parsnips
2-3 Gala apples or similar
1 Tbl olive oil
sea salt
cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Peel and chop the parsnips into bite-sized chunks. Core and chop the apple into similar bite-sized chunks (I left the skin on for more texture and to help the apples retain their shape).

3. Put parsnips and apples into a roasting pan. Toss with olive oil, sprinkle generously with sea salt, and add a dash of cinnamon. You want this to taste ever-so-slightly-reminiscent of apple pie so easy on the cinnamon.

4. Pop into the oven and roast, turning occasionally, for about 35-45 minutes. Stab parsnips with a fork to check for doneness. Serve and enjoy!