Roasted parsnips are a new vegetable dish in our home. I’d never cooked parsnips before, but turns out they are quite easy to roast. A little sweeter and nuttier than carrots, parsnips pair very nicely with slow-roasted lamb — and together, they make a great Sunday dinner! My favorite recipe for a slow-roasted lamb is Jamie Oliver’s “Incredible Roasted Shoulder of Lamb” — although the recipe calls for the shoulder, you could also apply the roasting method on a leg, which is what I did.
As for the parsnips, here’s how I cooked them:
Preheat the oven to 400F (or about 200C). Peel the parsnips and cut them into approx. 1/2 inch slices; lay them out in a baking dish. Chop up a red onion (or 2, if you like red onions); peel and halve 6 or so cloves of garlic. Add some sprigs of thyme or rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and mix. Add about 3 tablespoons of water.
Cover tightly with foil, and put in the oven. After about 20 minutes, take off the foil. Toss the parsnips/onions/garlic, and continue to roast for another 20 minutes or so, until tender. I like to keep moving the vegetables, so that they brown evenly. If you want to crisp up the edges, broil for 5 minutes at the end.
The turnips keep for several days and make for a delicious sweet-ish veggie snack!
The lamb dish looks delicious. I don’t cook turnips ever but these look great, you’ve inspired me to try them.