What We’re Cooking With Now: Parsnips

By Amy Reed, general manager, Café Phipps

Looking for adventure in the kitchen? Our monthly What We're Cooking with Now post features a fresh produce ingredient, explains how to find the market's finest, and includes a recipe or suggestions to try at home.

Parsnips

Why: High in antioxidants, potassium, folates, Vitamin C and E, and both soluble and insoluble fiber, parsnips develop a mildly sweet flavor as they ripen underground after a frost.

Shopping Tip: Fresh parsnips should be very firm, almost as firm as a carrot. Small and medium size parsnips are the best to use because the larger ones tend to be very fibrous and tough.

Preparation: Parsnips should be peeled before being eaten. Roasted parsnips that are cut into chunks make a nice addition to roasted sweet potatoes on the dinner table. Their naturally mild sweet flavor makes them perfect for cutting into “French fries” and baking as a healthy alternative to fried potatoes.

Recipe: Parsnip Fries with Avocado Yogurt Dip

Fries:
5 medium sized parsnips (about 1½ lbs.)
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
⅛ cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel all the parsnips just like you would a carrot and cut off the dark brown end. Cut each parsnip in the style of French fries. Toss the parsnips in the oil and season to your liking with salt and pepper. Bake the oven for 15 minutes, then turn them over to brown and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown.

Dip:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 ripe avocado
1 tsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder

Add all the ingredients into a bowl and mash the avocado with the back of a spoon. Stir until it is as smooth as possible. The riper the avocado, the better!