Pan-Fried Carrot and Parsnip Recipe - Noshing With the Nolands (2024)

FAQs

Do carrots and parsnips need to be parboiled before roasting? ›

Some cooks like to parboil hearty vegetables like parsnips and carrots before roasting them so that the oven can quickly brown the exterior. However, we find that by roasting vegetables in a 425℉ oven, they'll become perfectly tender on the inside and evenly browned on the outside.

While raw vegetables can often taste bitter, roasting them means that the dry heat of the oven helps caramelise the natural sugars within, resulting in the incredible sweet flavour of roasted carrots and parsnips.

Both parsnips and carrots come from the same family, but where they differ most is their flavor. Parsnips have a sweeter, licorice-like taste with a hint of spice to them, as opposed to the carrot's sweetness that is more reminiscent of other types of winter squash.

A parsnip is a long, tapered root vegetable. It resembles a carrot in this way, and indeed they are part of the same family. But parsnips don't taste like carrots. They're sweeter—think sweet potatoes—and they have a delicious naturally nutty or earthy flavor.

You can skip straight to roasting, but parboiling the parsnips first will help prevent dry or chewy parsnips. To parboil, put whole or halved parsnips in salted, boiling water and cook for 8 minutes or until slightly tender.

Undercook them, and the texture is tough and dense. Overcook them, and they're dry and wrinkled. The secret is to soften the carrots slightly by boiling them briefly before roasting. The texture will be firm-tender with just the right amount of caramelization on the outside.

They are more expensive to grow, harvest (the tops are cut by hand) and pack, which is why the parsnip is a bit more expensive than its orange twin, the carrot.

The cons of root vegetables

For example, there are 37 grams of carbs in a baked russet potato, and 24 grams in a medium baked sweet potato. Fung warns that if you eat more carbs than your body needs, it will store them as fat, leading to weight gain. Eating too many carbs in one sitting can spike your blood sugar.

Parsnips are a type of root vegetable, closely related to carrots and parsley root. They're rich in several important nutrients and antioxidants that may improve immunity, enhance digestive health, and aid weight loss.

Parsnips have a hardier texture that makes them a welcome substitute for mashed potatoes, but they'll roast up just as easily as carrots with a few more minutes in the oven. The same is what makes them less suitable for raw applications, which don't do parsnips' more nuanced flavor notes due justice.

Are parsnips healthier than potatoes? ›

Popular around the world, parsnips are undeservedly overlooked in the mainstream American diet. That's simply not fair, because parsnips are loaded with vitamins, packed with subtle flavors, and are a healthy alternative to potatoes for those limiting their carbohydrate macros.

White carrots closely mimic parsnips in both appearance and texture, making them another excellent alternative. Moreover, vegetables like parsley root, turnips, and salsify are also considered good replacements, offering their unique flavors while maintaining the dish's overall character.

Cooking instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add the carrots and parsnips and toss to coat in the oil. Add the thyme, cinnamon, star anise and some seasoning. Cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning the vegetables frequently, until golden brown and almost cooked through.

Young parsnips don't even need peeling and are considered sweet enough to eat raw, especially grated into salads or used as a crudité vegetable. However, if parsnips have been allowed to grow too big or remain too long in storage, they tend to get woodier and bitter.

Thick parsnips tend to have bitter, woody cores. Cut them in half length-wise and cut out the core if this is the case. Parsnips taste best during the winter months. They're sweeter when exposed to cold, so keep them in a bag in the fridge.

Parboil potatoes, carrots, turnips and celeriac and the like because they are very dense. Don't parboil onions or other less dense roots. Parboil is faster and useful if you can't vary the heat of your oven e.g roasting a bird.

Over the years and thanks to the genius of Jamie Oliver my roast vegetables have evolved into divine little babies that are wonderfully fluffy in the middle and gorgeously golden and crispy on the outside. The secret to creating the ultimate roast vege is to parboil the starchy vegetables prior to roasting.

Peel the carrots and parsnips and cut each in half lengthways, then half again widthways, if large. Drop into a large pan of boiling salted water and cook for about 3-4 minutes.

If you are making veggie trays it helps the produce have a bright color. I streamlined this and we skip the ice water, but quickly blanching the vegetables in salted boiling water before roasting improves the flavor and texture so much it is worth the extra step.