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Here is a simple and rustic root vegetable side dish offering for your Thanksgiving spread. Have you ever roasted parsnips? They’re similar to carrots in texture and flavor, but have a certain little oomph to them, a more complex cousin, if you will. If you prefer just parsnips or just carrots, you can certainly adapt this recipe to be one or the other, but I was very fond of the mix of the two, for both a wonderful earthy flavor and a pretty presentation.
This is very easy to do, which will be a warm welcome on Thanksgiving when you have lots of other more complicated dishes to fuss over. Peel, cut, toss, roast. Done. Roasting them in a maple, mustard, and thyme glaze really makes these vegetables shine and highlights their natural flavors.
Maple Roasted Carrots & Parsnips
Yields: 4-6 side dish portions
- 1lb whole carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 1lb parsnips, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 3T olive oil
- 2T pure maple syrup
- 1T whole grain mustard
- 1t dry thyme
- sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with non-stick spray.
Add the prepared carrots and parsnips to a bowl. In a smaller bowl, stir together the oil, maple syrup, mustard and thyme until well combined. Drizzle most of the mixture over the vegetables, reserving about 1/4 of it for later. Toss the vegetables to coat and spread them out into a single layer on the baking sheet. Season generously with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Roast for 15 minutes. Stir and turn the vegetables. Roast another 15-20 minutes or until tender and caramelized on the edges. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with the remaining maple mustard mixture. Serve.
