Currabinny cooks: The perfect winter brunch of potato and parsnip farls 

And two other ways to cook with parsnip 

Potato and Parsnip Farls. Picture: Bríd O'Donovan

A somewhat inelegant root, encrusted in earth and gnarled with roots, the parsnip seems like an unlikely delicacy at first. Brush away the dirt, peel away the bark-like skin and the pale, creamy flesh is revealed. Their beauty lies with that perfect balance between sweet and earthy. This humble root may turn out to be the most luxurious thing in your kitchen.

Boiled, mashed, pulsed to a velvety pureé or simply roasted in butter, the parsnip’s gentle sweetness makes for a truly comforting and sensual experience.

They seem to be entirely shunned on the continent, their only notable use in Italy being as the main feed for the pigs of Parma to make their delicious ham. It is interesting that an ingredient may be totally ignored in one land and become absolutely beloved in another.

The French can work wonders with their carrots but the parsnip seems to be an entirely British and Irish obsession. It is in these lands where parsnips are used in the most delicious ways. A neighbour of ours in Currabinny has always grown the most delicious glut of parsnips which they share most generously, so we have never had any particular need to grow them ourselves.

If you are growing them, pick up new seeds each year as they don’t keep well. When you sow the seeds, they can take what seems like an age to germinate, so be patient. Sow in early spring for a winter crop in deep soil. It is said that a good frost (or a few good frosts) will make your parsnips sweeter.

When buying parsnips, shy away from the ones trimmed and sold in plastic packaging if you can. When in Dublin we like to buy our parsnips a little dirty with some of the leaves still on.

The presence of soil seems to have a preserving effect, allowing them to be kept in a cupboard or pantry. If you wash and scrub them it is better to keep them in a fridge drawer.

It is always advisable to peel parsnips as the skin is tough and will not mash. Select firm, fleshy, medium-sized parsnips. Avoid large over-mature ones, as their flavour may not be as good. Do not buy soft, shrivelled or overly damaged roots.

Parsnip fries

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

These are basically just roasted parsnip batons in the shape of chips. Cutting them this way ensures the parsnips become crispy and caramelised all over with tender, creamy flesh

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 700g medium-sized parsnips

• 200g shallots

• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 tbsp honey

• Sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

• A small handful of thyme

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

2. Peel and trim the parsnips and then cut them into batons the size of thick-cut chips. Place the parsnips chips on a large roasting tray.

3. Peel the shallot and cut into quarters, keeping the root intact. Place these on the tray with the parsnip chips. Drizzle over the oil and honey and season well with sea salt and honey.

4. Scatter the thyme sprigs over the fries, if you’re using it.

5. Roast for around 40 minutes, stirring everything around the tray halfway through cooking. They should be golden, brown and turning almost burnt at the thin ends but still with a nice tender centre.
   
   Photograph: Bríd O'Donovan

Potato and parsnip farls

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

If you don’t have leftover mash, just peel and boil around 250g of potatoes and mash with a bit of butter

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 200g leftover mashed potato

• 200g parsnips, peeled and trimmed

• 80g butter plus more for cooking

• Small handful of chopped dill

• Small handful of chopped parsley

• 50g cream flour

• Sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Method

1. Chop the parsnips up into rough chunks and place in a boiling pan of salted water over medium high heat for around 20 minutes. Drain the vegetables and tip them back into the empty pan along with the leftover mash and butter, mashing them both together until well combined and smooth.

2. Season generously with salt and pepper and then add the herbs and sifted flour to the mix. Beat together with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth dough.

3. Lightly flour a clean worktop and knead the dough into a smooth ball or thick disc. You can cut this into thirds and work in batches, rolling the dough out or pressing it out with your hands into a ½ inch thick disc. Cut into triangles with a sharp knife.

4. Heat a large frying pan over a medium high heat with a little butter and add as many farls as fit comfortably on the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown all over.

5. Repeat until you have cooked all of the farls.

6. Serve with the usual breakfast fare of sausages, eggs, bacon and tomatoes.
   
   Photograph: Bríd O'Donovan

Parsnip with feta and smoked garlic

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

Smoked garlic can be used in most of the ways that you use roasted garlic. It has that intensely smoky flavour and smell. You can find some Irish producers such as Drummond House who smoke elephant garlic using oak wood chips for 36 hours

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 4 good-sized parsnips

• 2 red onions

• 2 medium-sized carrots

• 6-8 sprigs of thyme

• Whole head of smoked garlic

• 200g feta

• Sea salt and black pepper

• Olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C Peel the onions carrots and parsnips. Cut the onions into quarters, keeping the root intact.

2. Cut the parsnip into large chunks and do the same with the carrots. Place the vegetables into a roasting tin.

3. Break the smoked garlic bulb and scatter the cloves all around and in and amongst the vegetables. Scatter the thyme sprigs on top and drizzle a good glug of olive oil (around 5-6 tablespoons) over the whole lot. Season with sea salt and black pepper and place in the oven for around 40 minutes until everything is well roasted and the parsnips are well browned.

4. Squish the smoked garlic flesh out of their papery skins and remove the woody thyme sprigs from the roasting tray.

5. Return the smoked garlic flesh to the roasting tray and stir around into the oil and vegetables so that it starts to coat everything.

6. Divide the vegetables between two bowls and crumble the feta over before serving.
   
   Photograph: Bríd O'Donovan