When I was a kid, one of my favorite things in the world to eat, bizarrely, was carrots. I’m not talking carrot sticks here, people. I actually loved mashed carrots, as long as they were made the right way: doused in real butter and with plenty of black pepper. When I first learned to make them, I had a problem actually getting any of the carrot mash to anybody’s plate, since so many spoonfuls made their way into my face straight from the pan. Oops. My love for real butter also tended to render me incapable of using a logical quantity of butter. I frequently added so much butter that I kind of ended up with carroty-butter-soup. I’d like to think my kitchen capabilities have improved a little since then!
This carrot mash reminds me of that first vegetable dish I can recall really enjoying, but it’s a tad more fancy. It is, however, just as simple to make! Mr Meatified has never really cared for carrots too much on their own. Unless you give him roasted carrots, but that’s another story! So I paired the carrots with one of his favorite vegetables, parsnips. This works really well: while both vegetables are naturally sweet, the combined flavors mellow each other out a bit.
To make this Parsnip Carrot Mash more flavorful and fluffy, I added bacon fat (you could substitute butter or ghee if you wanted) and coconut milk. I added plenty of fresh lemon zest to give some acidity that would balance out all of the sweetness and finished with some fragrant fresh thyme. Is anyone else having a love affair with thyme lately, or is it just my own personal obsession? I can’t get enough of the stuff lately! If you don’t have fresh, dried is good, although you will have to reduce the amount a little. And if you don’t have dried thyme, a good Italian Seasoning blend works well, too!
PrintParsnip Carrot Mash with Lemon Zest & Thyme
This parsnip and carrot mash is made deliciously fluffy with coconut milk & the natural vegetable sweetness is balanced with lemon zest and fragrant thyme.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 lb parsnips, peeled and sliced
- 4 tbl bacon fat OR lard
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 2 tbl fresh thyme leaves
- Zest of two lemons
- 1/4 tsp black pepper & salt to taste (omit pepper for AIP)
Instructions
- Boil or steam carrots and parsnips until fork tender, about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Drain the carrots and parsnips and put them into the bowl of a food processor along with the bacon fat / ghee, coconut milk, thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Pulse or puree until the texture is as you like your mash. If you more of a puree add a splash or two of water to blend the mixture more easily. Serve while still warm!
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In love already and haven’t tried it! Thanks for another great! Recipe!!! 🙂 can’t wait to try it…
I hope you enjoy it, it’s one of my favorites! I’m going to start more side dishes soon, lots of people seem to want to liven things up a bit 🙂
Totally agree! Lots of main dishes out there, but sides seem to lack! I LOVE variety, so please keep inspiring us all! 🙂
Wow, thank you! 🙂 I better get back in the kitchen!
I love parsnip mash and I love the addition o carrots, it gives it such a beautiful color! And mm, thyme and lemon makes it sound so fresh!
This is one of my favorites! I’m trying to put together and publish some more side dish recipes because they can really liven up a whole meal 🙂 Thank you for stopping by!
I made this tonight as I have just started the paleo diet and it was delicious! Perfect pairing of the coconut milk, thyme and lemon zest.
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it 🙂