Prior to moving to the UK, I didn’t pay attention to parsnips. Sure, I knew they were a kind of white carrot, but I didn’t use them in cooking at all.
After doing some research, I found that when the British colonised the United States, parsnips were actually the number one cultivated food starch; however, they were shortly replaced with the ubiquitous potato (no wonder I had never experimented with it before!).
Over the past few years, I have prepared the parsnip in almost every way imaginable – roasted, blended into sauces (check out my vegan gravy recipe here), grated and baked in sweet desserts (check out my parsnip bread recipe here), spiralised into curly fries, and now mashed!
Through my culinary adventures, it has become apparent that even if the parsnip was pushed off of its throne back in Colonial America, it certainly has the potential to stand up to its tubor cousin (and in my opinion do it even better!).
Here is a new spin on the classic mashed potato, with slightly fewer and even more flavour! Although this mash alternative has a slightly different consistency than the spud version, it is unique in its own right and is a fantastic side dish for a Sunday Roast or dare I say a side dish for next Thanksgiving?!
browned butter parsnip mash with thyme
Ingredients
- 1 kg parsnips peeled and chopped into large-sized chunks
- 56 grams vegan butter
- 60 ml non-dairy milk
- 6 grams thyme finely minced
- nutmeg and cinnamon to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place chopped parsnips in water and simmer until tender, six to ten minutes and then drain.
- Meanwhile, in another saucepan, warm butter over medium heat, once melted swirl and cook until browned.
- Remove from heat and set aside until parsnips are completely cooked.
- Drain the parsnips and add back to the pan and mash with a potato masher.
- Placed mashed parsnips in a stand mixer and pour in the browned butter until smooth and whipped.
- Add thyme leaves, salt and pepper and continue to mix until creamy and desired consistency.
