Potato & Parsnip Puree

The weather in the Northwest this time of year can be a bit manic depressive. For example yesterday was sunny and a balmy 67 degrees. I say balmy, because at temps in the high 60’s, Portlanders will come outside in droves, busting out their barbecues, new running shoes, and filling up the sidewalks of outdoor cafes. This took a lot of getting used to when I first moved to Oregon. Growing up in California, anything in the 60 degrees mark would be sweatshirt weather, but after several years in Oregon instead of the sweatshirt, I bust out my flip flops too. So yesterday was spent outside all day soaking up the Vitamin D, but this morning I woke up to dark skies, drizzly rain , and temps in the 40’s. What can I say? Spring in Oregon. The weather shapes the selection at the farmers markets too, so while there are some asparagus and herbs, there are still the root vegetables and dark greens from winter hanging around. We are kind of stuck in the middle with it not being quite time for the produce bounty of late spring and summer, and the enthusiasm for root vegetables is about zapped up.This can keep you in kind of a cooking rut, so this time of year I am always looking for ideas to jazz up dinner. I came up with this potato and parsnip puree because I was tired of boring potatoes and the ubiquitous roasted parsnips. I decided to combine the two. By doing that, I add a little dimension to the potatoes, and my tato loving husband still gets his mashers. Roasted parsnips taste a lot like a roasted carrot but not as sweet.

Using a ricer is essential to making this dish. I discovered ricers about 2 years ago and it has changed my potato making forever. You know how restaurants always have creamy, starch-less mashed potatoes? Well it is because they use ricers. You can buy a domestic, handheld metal one for less than $15. I got mine from a local kitchen store. How you use the ricer is simple. You take your boiled potatoes/roasted parsnips (still hot) and push them through the ricer. The ricer retains all the starchy skin from the vegetables, creating creamy spirals that come out, resulting in smooth mashed potatoes, no masher required. The best thing about using the ricer? Eliminating the starchiness, enables you to use less butterfat, etc to have creamy mashed potatoes. Using the ricer just makes the potatoes taste better, it changed my potato making life, and I hope it changes yours……

I served this puree alongside Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts and asparagus, which will be my next post!

Serves 4!

4 Yukon Gold Potatoes
4 Parsnips
3 Tablespoons Salted Butter
6-8 Tablespoons Whole Milk (Cream or ½ & ½ can be substituted, but with a 1 year old we go through whole milk like it is going out of style.)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Boil Yukon Golf Potatoes over medium heat until tender. (About 45 minutes.) Toss Parsnips in Olive Oil & roast at 350 degrees in a covered baking dish for 60 minutes. Pass potatoes and parsnips through a ricer (food mill will work too.) while still hot. Put Puree in pot on low/med heat. Add butter and milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir and serve!