How do you like to eat parsnips? These delicious root vegetables are usually a bit sweeter than carrots and we often add them to our chicken soup, but lately, we’ve been making this parsnip gratin inspired by Nigel Slater. It’s easy to make in a skillet – just pop it into the oven and serve alongside a roasted chicken, pork tenderloin, or steak along with a simple salad. This is enough for about four servings. You could also take it a step farther and make it even more decadent by using melted duck fat or schmaltz in place of the butter.
It’s a slightly lighter gratin compared to a traditional potato gratin, but you’ll still get your starchy vegetable and lots of cheese. It would also work as a hearty vegetarian entree for two on a cold night when you want to be cozy.
Parsnip Gratain
Ingredients
- 2-3 parsnips
- 1 onion
- few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup Emmental or Gruyere cheese, grated
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Thinly slice the parsnips into rounds and the onion into rounds or half rounds. We like to use a Japanese mandoline to get uniform, thin slices.
- Cook the onion in a skillet on medium with a bit of butter until softened or slightly browned and caramelized.
- Remove, allow to cool and in the same skillet, build layers of overlapping parsnip rounds in a concentric circle brushed with melted butter, caramelized onions, cheese, and fresh leaves of thyme or another fresh herb that you prefer.
- Finish the top with a layer of cheese, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.