Honey-Roasted Parsnips

Name: Honey-Roasted Parsnips
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1.5 kg of Parsnips; Salt; 50 g of Butter; Black Pepper; 4 Bay Leaves; 1 tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar; 2 tablespoons of Honey

Honey-roasted parsnips are blanched, roasted in butter until golden, then tossed with honey and bay for a sticky, caramelized Christmas side.

Difficulty Easy
Preparation 15 minutes
Cooking 1 hour and15 minutes
Servings for 8 people

Honey-roasted parsnips are one of the essential vegetables of Christmas dinner in Britain and Ireland, roasted alongside the potatoes and served with turkey, goose or beef. The naturally sweet parsnips are blanched, roasted in butter until golden outside and soft inside, then glazed with honey in the last minutes so the sugar caramelizes without burning.

Parsnips are at their best in winter, when cold weather turns part of their starch into sugar. A splash of vinegar and a few bay leaves keep the honey from tasting cloying.

Ingredients for 8 people

1.5 kg of Parsnips medium, scrubbed
Salt to taste
50 g of Butter unsalted
Black Pepper to taste
4 Bay Leaves fresh
1 tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons of Honey runny

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Method

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Scrub the parsnips well; there is no need to peel them. Leave them whole, halving any very large ones lengthways so they are all a similar size.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the parsnips for 5 minutes. Drain them in a colander and leave them to steam dry for a few minutes.
Tip the parsnips into a large roasting tray, dot with the butter, season with salt and black pepper and toss to coat. Spread them out in a single layer and roast for 1 hour, turning them once halfway, until golden.
Take the tray out, scatter over the bay leaves, drizzle with the red wine vinegar and the honey and toss everything together. Roast for a final 10 minutes, until sticky, caramelized and deep golden, and serve hot. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

Use maple syrup instead of honey, or stir a spoonful of wholegrain mustard into the honey. Sprigs of thyme or rosemary can replace the bay leaves, and many cooks roast carrots and parsnips together in the same tray.

Tips

Add the honey only in the last 10 minutes: added at the start, it burns before the parsnips are cooked. Give them space in the tray, in a single layer, so they roast instead of steaming. If they share the oven with the turkey at a higher temperature, check them after 40 minutes.

Storage

Best eaten freshly roasted. Leftovers keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days; reheat them in a hot oven for 10 minutes or blend them into a parsnip soup.