… Aromatic of Rosemary and Garlic!
When Easter comes around, our traditional dinner is ham with mashed potatoes and smokey pineapple cherry gravy, made from the glaze and drippings of the ham. I love this combo, especially as leftovers … cubed ham in my mashed potatoes … yum!
This year I decided to step just a little “outside the box” of my typical dinner plan. Keeping with the mashed potato theme, but putting a tangy twist on them, I’ve added some parsnips, then pulled all the flavors together with sautéd garlic and rosemary. Wow, this combo is a flavorful change! With very little extra work required above that of mashed potatoes, you can dress up this gluten-free, dairy-free root vegetable side dish and turn it into an eye-catching, tastebud tantalizing complement to any dinner – Easter or otherwise.
To create a very creamy texture in the mashed potatoes and parsnips, I used my ricer, also known as a food mill, to “cream” the vegetables. This eliminated the beating process, and aerated the vegetables instead. In doing so, they came out so smooth that a non-dairy milk substitute, or broth, was not needed to “fluff” them, as when whipping typical mashed potatoes. LOVE that! There’s nothing extra to dilute the flavors of the parsnips, rosemary, and garlic. By using a piping bag, or a resealable freezer bag in my case, fitted with a decorating tip, I created an extra finishing touch to my dish. Voila! Kicked up mashed potatoes, aka, gluten-free, dairy-free Mashed Potato Parsnip Medley.
Be sure to check back for my Ham with Smokey Pineapple Cherry Glaze recipe!
Mashed Potato Parsnip Medley with Rosemary and Garlic
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: about 20 minutes stove top, plus 15 minutes in oven
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
6-7 3-inch long Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
4 parsnips, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely diced
2-4 Tablespoons margarine – I use Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread – soy free
salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon margarine, melted
Directions:
Cut potatoes and parsnips into chunks. Place potatoes in one pot and parsnips in another pot. They cook at different rates. Cover both with water.
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pot, then cover with lid and place both pots over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain, cover again, and let sit until the other pot is done as well.
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Warm the olive oil in a small sauté pan while the vegetables are boiling. Add rosemary and garlic. Sauté until the rosemary becomes aromatic, about 1-2 minutes, being careful the oil doesn’t become too hot and brown the garlic. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine cooked potatoes and parsnips into a pot large enough to hold both. Using a food mill or ricer, or a hand masher (or electric hand mixer), “rice” or mash the vegetables.
Add the rosemary, garlic, and olive oil from the pan to the potato mixture. Add the solid margarine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir until creamy and well mixed and adjust margarine if necessary.
Place mashed potatoes and parsnips in a baking dish, reserving about a cupful for decoration, if desired. To pipe mashed potato mixture onto top of dish, place extra potatoes into a piping bag or plastic bag, fitted with a decorating tip, and pipe into desired pattern. At this point, the dish can stay on countertop for up to an hour (if you preparing other dishes that need the oven).
Bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes (this allows the potatoes to “set” before they are brushed). Remove from oven and brush with melted margarine. Set oven to “broil” and return potatoes to oven for 2-5 minutes, or until the mashed potato and parsnips become golden on the top.
Remove from oven and serve.
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Other dishes that would make a great meal accompaniment:
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