Parsnip Carrot Mash with Lemon Zest & Thyme

Parsnip Carrot Mash with Lemon Zest & Thyme from http://meatified.com #paleo #glutenfree #whole30

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.

Parsnip Carrot Mash with Lemon Zest & Thyme

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!

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Parsnip 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.

  • Author: Rachael Bryant / Meatified
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

CHOP: Bring a 6 quart stock pot or similar of salted water to the boil. Peel the parsnips, discard their tops and slice them in half. Chop each half into quarters so that you can get to the woody inner cores. Carefully cut out and discard the cores from the parsnips, then chop them into about 1/2 inch / 1.25 cm pieces. I find that coring the parsnips is only really necessary when they are especially large and, therefore, tough in the middle. Peel and slice the carrots into similarly sized pieces as the parsnips.

BOIL: Add the vegetables to the salted water and bring back to the boil, then turn the heat down to a more even simmer. Cook until fork tender but not mushy, about 5 – 10 minutes.

DRAIN: Pour the vegetables into a large colander to drain and let them sit for several minutes while they release steam – this helps yield a creamier, less waterlogged mash.

MASH: Transfer the vegetables to the bowl of a 14 cup food processor, along with the bacon fat or pork lard, coconut milk, fresh or dried thyme and lemon zest. Start with a 1/2 tsp of flaky sea salt and 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper. Process until smooth and creamy. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if you like.

Notes

Both bacon fat and pork lard will add a lovely savory, smoky flavor that goes well with the natural sweetness of both the vegetables and coconut milk. If that’s a little too much for your taste, swap in a milder option in whole or in part, like a neutral avocado oil or a light olive oil.

 

16 comments

  1. In love already and haven’t tried it! Thanks for another great! Recipe!!! 🙂 can’t wait to try it…

    1. 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 🙂

      1. Totally agree! Lots of main dishes out there, but sides seem to lack! I LOVE variety, so please keep inspiring us all! 🙂

    1. 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!

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