I was almost reluctant to post this because it's basic and doesn't really break new ground, but decided to go ahead, hoping maybe this simple process will inspire more of us to fool around with 'snips and maybe try something more challenging.
Mary doesn't like sweet flavors in savory foods, so it's a challenge for me to get anything with parsnips in it past her, but she liked this well enough to eat a little of it. I didn't use any sweet ingredients, although the parsnips themselves and the effects of caramelization do create a dish that's, um, "off-dry."
I immediately thought of a mashed-parsnip dish to go with a comforting dinner of short ribs last night, and decided to please my bride by going half-and-half with potatoes rather than full-bore parsnip. Based on Jenise's good advice in the IOTM announcement, I figured I just had to roast the veggies before mashing rather than simmering them ... and roasting made the addition of some onion and garlic just about mandatory.
So I peeled one average-size potato and one good-size parsnip (of several exceptionally fine 'snips that I had picked up at Creation Gardens, a local high-quality restaurant store that sells to the general public too), cut them into one-inch chunks, and tossed them with a little olive oil in a small roasting pan with about half of a medium yellow onion, cut into squares, and a couple of peeled, halved cloves of garlic. S&P and pop in a 450 oven for 45 minutes, shaking the roasting pan every now and then. Toward the end of roasting, I decided to dust on a little cumin and a little curry powder to heighten flavor interest - not enough to impart a strong flavor, just a little past homeopathic.
When they were nice and crusty and brown, I smashed them with a potato masher, working in a little butter and then a small amount of milk. As I was working, I decided to hold back the liquid and finish them as a coarse, rough mash rather than a smooth puree, although if fat and calories weren't a concern, I could see doing this in an alternative form by working in plenty of butter and cream to make the dish rich and smooth.
Anyway, I thought it was a great autumn dish, and even Mary liked it pretty well, although not enough to take seconds ...