Parsnip Latkes

by LEON BOUTEILLER

Truly flavorful and delicious, parsnips should be the hero of Winter vegetables. They are so versatile; they can enhance many dishes and can even be a feature on their own. They were my Mom’s favorite; my sister and I learned to like them as well. I cannot understand why many people dislike them. They are sweet and well suited to sautéed dishes, puréed, roasted or to soups and stews. Add them to a pot of boiling potatoes to make an enlightened mash or boil finger-sized sticks of parsnips until tender, toss with some butter and honey, roast for a few minutes to glaze and then sprinkle with some crushed and toasted hazelnuts.

When at market look for parsnips that are fat at the top and fairly stout, not the long and slender ones that tend to be woody in the middle. Peel, cut or shred them as you would a carrot. Depending on how your use, you might boil them unpeeled in salted water for 30 minutes or so until cooked through, then slip the skins off. This shortens the cooking time for recipes calling for sauté or stir-fry. Although there seems to be no reason to eat them raw, I don’t find that presentation particularly enjoyable. Otherwise a good way to think about them is to add them to any recipe calling for celery root.

With this in mind, they make flavorful hash brown potatoes, replacing half of the potatoes with shredded parsnips. I did a little experimentation and found they make a surprisingly tasty latke. These could also be made replacing half of the parsnips with an equal amount of potato but I prefer the all parsnip version. That becomes my recipe for this week.

PARSNIP LATKES
Enough for 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds parsnips
1 small onion, grated (alternatively, the onion and egg can be puréed in a blender)
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
a few grinds of black pepper
neutral oil for the pan frying

Method:

peel and trim the parsnips
shred the parsnips on the coarse side of a box grater or food processor, then place in a bowl
blend in the beaten egg and the grated onion
in a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and black pepper, then blend the dry ingredients into the parsnips mixing thoroughly
heat a large skillet or griddle on medium heat and oil it liberally, then scoop 1/3 cup portions of parsnip batter onto the hot pan and flatten with a fork or spatula to make 3-4 inch pancakes
cook for three to four minutes, then turn over and cook for another three minutes or so
remove to a paper towel lined platter and keep warm and repeat with the rest of the batter adding more oil to the pan as needed

Serve immediately to retain those crispy edges. These parsnip pancakes go very nicely with homemade applesauce, a little preserves or as a side for something savory. I hope that you’ll give these a try and maybe they will entice you to make more use of this unsung hero of the Winter vegetables.

Enjoy!