Rosemary-Parsnip Mashed Potatoes

These potatoes were paired with ribs in one big recipe. I'm not going to argue with that. The ingredients list was a little goofy since it called for even more butter but didn't say what to do with it. I skipped that butter and everything worked out fine.

Rosemary-Parsnip Mashed Potatoes
from Epicurious
click to print

3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 lb large parsnips, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 c whole milk
6 tbsp butter
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste 

Cook potatoes and parsnips in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes.
 

Meanwhile, bring milk, butter, and rosemary to simmer in small saucepan.


Drain potato mixture and return to pot. Stir briefly over medium heat to evaporate excess moisture.


Add milk mixture and mash well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Serve mashed potatoes with short ribs.


Aside from the rosemary these potatoes were not noticeably different from any other mashed potatoes. I couldn't even tell there were parsnips in it. The mash might've been slightly sweeter than a usual mashed potato, but I'm guessing. The rosemary was a nice touch, making the root dish seem a little fancy though there wasn't any extra effort. Learning from previous experience, I made sure not to overwork these spuds; they didn't turn out glue-y at all. I'll definitely do this one again but will likely cut the quantity in half. This was a lot!

Cost:

• russet potatoes: $2.48
• parsnips: $2.99
• milk: $0.50
• butter: $0.36
• fresh rosemary: $0.25

Total: $6.58 or $0.82 for each of eight enormous servings.

HerbThyme Organic Rosemary

This find was quite exciting! Rosemary is available in quarter-ounce portions which means little-to-no waste!


Let down by the parsnip snippet in the Larousse Gastronomique, I looked up rosemary and learned something cool.

...a sprig of rosemary gives a delicate flavour to the milk used for a dessert. The flowers can be used to garnish salads and they can be crystallized (candied) in the same way as violets. Rosemary honey, a specialty of Narbonne in France, is much esteemed.

So that means 1) people have had rosemary flavored desserts, 2) rosemary will flower, which I find astounding for some unknown reason, and 3) violets can be candied. Consider me blown away.

A giant sprig and a little one came in the clamshell.

Checking out HerbThymes website, I found that they produce a pretty wide variety of herbs right here in CA plus their site offers great guidance in how to use, store, refresh, and even dry fresh herbs. I'm impressed.

HerbThyme organic rosemary available in the produce section of Stater Bros. for $1/0.25-oz.

Parsnips

I've used parsnips a few times, the first time in Beer-Braised Pork with Bacon (so good it's hard not to eat it all in one sitting), but haven't really looked at them. I mean, I've looked at them, just not here.


Check out the fiber!

By that, I mean I haven't looked them up in the Larousse Gastronomique, which disappointingly only includes two brief paragraphs. The highlights include the facts that parsnips were enjoyed during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, is used in all the same ways as, and often preferred over, the turnip, and can be baked or cooked like carrots.


That was not exciting at all. I'm now feeling compelled to recall information that might be of some interest or use for you. I've come across some parsnip prep recipes/sites that will say to cut out that middle woody "core" from the thicker part of the parsnip.


I don't do that. I haven't noticed them so far*; chances are that least favored core is where the fiber is located. And I'm all about the fiber.

Judging by the blade of my knife, there's a fair amount of starch in parsnips.

Reading up on this root vegetable on Wikipedia, I learned that wild parsnips are considered an invasive species or noxious weed because the plant part, the stem and shoots, have a toxin which can cause chemical burns if it touches the skin. Youch! Now that was interesting!

What's really cool is that the parsnips imaged are from Montecucco Farms in Oregon. Yes, that's a state away from me, but it's a family owned farm in business since the early 1900's and they practice sustainable farming methods. The more I read about this family and their methods the more I want to support them.

Montecucco Farms parsnips, available in the produce section of Stater Bros. in one pound bags for $2.99 each.

*That was an inadvertant lie. Apparently I had noticed the parsnip core once before, when I made the Beer-Braised Pork with Bacon the second time. Oops. Maybe core the parsnips if they are to be sliced!

Stater Bros. Beef Chuck Short Ribs

Beef chuck short ribs on sale helped drive my decision to make a rib recipe. That's always a good reason for me.

Interestingly, the store didn't have them laid out in the meat case. I had to ask for some. And the meat guy had to cut them and wrap them for me. This was highly fascinating to me. I don't know why he decided to put the on a tray instead of in paper, but whatever.


The fascinating part was how the guy took a hunk of cow ribs and used a big assed band saw to cut the ribs into pieces. So fascinated was I that I neglected to ask for four inch pieces. I was too busy considering whether I should chop the wall down between my kitchen and bedroom to fit the band saw I was debating buying for myself.


Beef chuck short ribs, cut for you by the meat guy at Stater Bros., for $3.69/lb on sale.

Food Plan and Grocery List, 101312

There was no food plan last week because I was working like crazy. It's crunch time there for me. I either ate peanut butter and jelly, muffins thawed from the freezer, or skipped dinner entirely. This weekend I wanted to make something good. And because it gets dark in my kitchen by about 5:02, it's officially winter to me; I want something that takes hours in the oven, giving me that warm-cozy-by-the-fire feeling.

Zinfandel-Braised Short Ribs with Rosemary-Parsnip Mashed Potatoes it will be.

Stater Bros.:

• Barefoot Zinfandel: $16/4-750 mL bottles
• whole milk: $0.99/pint
• Smucker's preserves: $3.99
• beef short ribs: $16.79
• Russet potatoes: $2.48/3.14 lb
• red onions: $2.52/1.95 lb
• rosemary: $1
• garlic: $1/2 bulbs
• parsnips: $5.98/2 lbs
• TOTAL: $52.82 

Total for the year: $1723.35

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 101212

Monday: Carl's Jr $6 Burger on a coworker
Tuesday: Chipotle Carnitas Tacos on a coworker
Wednesday: Jack in the Box SW Chicken Salad on a coworker
Thursday: Carl's Jr Low-Carb $6 Burger on a coworker
Friday: Sango Sushi combo on a coworker

Total: $0
Total for the year: $1274.03

Cost of Take-Out Lunch, Week Ending 100512

Monday: Cajun Collard Stuffed Chicken Ballottine
Tuesday: Cajun Collard Stuffed Chicken Ballottine
Wednesday: Deemer's for two: $22.09
Thursday: Quizno's Regular Italian on wheat: $6.89
Friday: Carl's Jr $6 Burger: $4.73

Total: $33.71
Total for the year: $1274.03