13 December 2010

On the Second Day of Veggie Christmas: Parsnip and Carrot Roesti with Nutmeg


On the second day of Veggie Christmas, Whole Foods brought to me, parsnips, a vegetable I both love and hate. I find them pleasantly sweet, but also overwhelmingly aromatic. Parsnips are a perky new friend I really enjoy, but can only take in small doses.

To mellow and balance the parsnips' intensity I combined them with carrots and nutmeg to make a roesti adapted from a recipe for Beet Roesti with Rosemary in How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman. The resulting dish was mildly sweet, intensely flavorful, with a crisp exterior and soft interior. I enjoyed it as a small snack, but would try it again as a side with other strong flavors, maybe a roast lamb entree with Barolo to drink.

Parsnip and Carrot Roesti with Nutmeg; serves 4
2 medium parsnips, about 1 1/2 cups
1 medium carrot, about 1/2 cup
1/8 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter

+Peel, then julienne or grate parsnips and carrot.
+Heat a skillet over medium heat.
+Melt the butter in the skillet until golden brown.
+While the butter is melting, toss the vegetables in a large bowl with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then add half of the flour and toss. Add the remaining flour and toss again.
+Place vegetable mixture in the skillet and press into a cake with a spatula.
+Cook on medium-high heat, shaking the pan occasionally to keep from sticking, until bottom is golden and crisp but not burned, about four minutes.
+Slide the roesti onto a plate, then place another plate on top and invert the plates so that the cooked side is now facing up. Slide the roesti back into the pan and cook until the second side is golden and crisp, about three minutes.
+Slide the roesti onto a plate, slice into four pieces and serve immediately.

1 comment:

  1. This looks delicious- I'm excited to pick up some parsnips on my next grocery run. Love the use of nutmeg too, I bet it really melds the flavors together nicely.

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