Parsnips and butternut squash abound this time of year, but it can be hard to come up with ideas to incorporate them. Most people haven’t cooked parsnips before and aren’t sure where to start. Parsnips look somewhat like white carrots, and you peel them the same way, but they have a distinct root vegetable flavor.
I am always trying to find ways to reduce the starches and incr
ease the vegetables we eat. Butternut squash is one of those wonderful vegetables that has a similar texture and taste of a sweet potato, but isn’t as sugary. It doesn’t get stringy or watery like other types of squash sometimes do, so it really stands up to roasting.
With a couple of Yukon gold potatoes, these winter vegetables bake together and caramelize nicely. Even children don’t seem to notice how many vegetables they’re enjoying, so that’s another win when feeding a family.
This side dish recipe easily feeds four to six people. I was only serving three, so I wound up with enough left over for the next night. It’s really nice to have a significant part of today’s meal already completed. This savory vegetable and potato medley worked great with the pompano fish I grilled last night, and I’m sure it will pair perfectly with roasted lamb chops this evening.
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, chopped
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes
1 medium butternut squash
4 parsnips
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Cooking
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel parsnips like you would peel a carrot, then slice into 1/4-inch slices. Remove the skin from the squash by carefully cutting between the skin and the orange flesh. Then remove the seeds and stringy inside, like you would if you were cleaning out a pumpkin. Then cut squash into 1/2-inch chunks. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch chunks as well.
Mix the minced garlic and shallots with the parsnips, squash and potatoes in a large bowl. Add olive oil, salt, garlic powder, white pepper and thyme and stir. Place the medley on a greased cookie sheet in single layer. Bake for 20 minutes and stir.
Bake for another 15 minutes. Pour balsamic vinegar over the vegetables and gently combine. Cook for 5 more minutes and serve when ready.
Wash the chicken thoroughly with cold water and pat dry. Make sure the neck and giblets have been removed. Generously sprinkle chicken inside and out with salt and pepper.
To make gravy, strain the liquid from the roasting pan and combine it with the liquid from the onions. Scrape off the black spots on the roasting pan and put it on the stove top. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium-low heat and add 2 tablespoons of flour, mixing well until combined. Slowly add the strained liquid back into the pan. Increase heat to medium and stir continually until the gravy is slightly thickened. You can add more chicken broth if it gets too thick.
