The Root Cause

by RogerJanuary 25, 2022

Image of root vegetables with episode title.

On today’s episode we dig into the wide world of root vegetables. We’ll explore the difference between the varieties of root vegetables, including tubers and rhizomes, and some common culinary uses. We also have a recipe for a delicious honey roasted parsnip and celeriac puree! So rustle up some rutabagas, track down some turnips, and have some fun!

Mentioned in this Episode

Root vegetables are a versatile, if often overlooked, ingredient in the home cook’s repertoire. Everyone knows and love potatoes and carrots, but what should you do with parsnips and turnips? As Mark Bittman once said, start with your favorite potato recipes and substitute in a different root vegetable, “The treatment won’t be identical (the more sugar, the quicker the browning), but it will be similar, and the results will almost always be startling and good.”

There are a million recipes online for root vegetables, but if you prefer a cookbook, well, there are a lot of those too!

Here is a pretty comprehensive list of root vegetables on Wikipedia, and here is a more practical guide to some of the more common root veggies. And this from the Pioneer Woman also includes tips for growing root vegetables. How about storing root vegetables for the long term? What about just prolonging them in your kitchen?

Roasting root vegetables is one of the simplest preparations (aside from just eating them raw). Below are a few images followed by a recipe for Honey Roasted Parsnip and Celeriac Puree.

celeriac, garlic and parsley on a cutting board — Celeriac, garlic and parsnips

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Honey Roasted Parsnip and Celeriac Puree

Author: Roger
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

The sweetness of the parsnips and the “herbiness” of the celeriac make this puree a welcome stand-in when you are tired of plain old mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

Scale

1.5 pounds total of parsnips and celeriac (celery root)
4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons cream, milk, stock or other liquid
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and trim the parsnips and celeriac and cut into uniform sized chunks (about 1-inch size). Combine the parsnips, celeriac, garlic cloves, olive oil and honey in a large bowl and toss until well coated.
Arrange vegetables in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring about halfway through, or until vegetables are easily pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and peel the garlic cloves.
In a food processor, combine parsnips, celeriac, garlic, and butter. Pulse to a course consistency (about 6 to 8 pulses), then run the processor and drizzle in the cream, milk, stock or other liquid until you achieve your desired puree consistency.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with parsley before serving.

Notes

I recommend getting one celeriac, and then enough parsnips to make it to 1.5 pounds. You can also omit the celeriac and make this puree completely from parsnips.

You will need to peel the celeriac with a knife. Start by cutting the top and bottom of the celeriac so it sits on your cutting board without wobbling. Then use your knife to cut off strips of the peel from top to bottom until you have removed all the peel. Don’t worry if you end up taking off a fair amount of flesh of the celeriac, it’s bound to happen.