Hit me up when your best carrot, parsnip and roastie recipes

[Carrotandparsnip]

I need help with my Xmas dinner. Carrot, parsnip, roasties, sprouts.. basically all of the vegetable recipes and tips.

Need to be vegetarian.

ps the name parsniplover was taken. Someone’s been here before.

I love Delia Smith's Parmesan Parsnips. Easy to do make and you can freeze them. I've nearly always got a bag full in the freezer waiting for me.

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/root-vegetables/parmesan-baked-parsnips

I do roasted carrots and parsnips with honey, butter and thyme (I also sometimes add beetroot, sweet potato or brightly coloured heritage carrots).
I peel and chop the carrots/parsnips (don’t cut too small because they shrink when they’re cooked.
Parboil in salted water until they’re just starting to soften (you don’t want them to go soft and mushy). Drain them really well and then roast on a medium heat (150-180ish) in a little bit of oil and a pinch of salt.
About 10 minutes before they’re done I toss them in a drizzle of honey (not too much, a little goes a long way), add some sprigs of thyme, a couple of grinds of black pepper and some butter.

For roast potatoes I find the key is to choose the right variety (something ‘floury’ like Maris Piper or Russet).
Preheat a good layer of light olive oil in a roasting pan on a medium-high heat (180-210)
Peel and cut potatoes into quarters/sixths. Then parboil in salted water until starting to soften (but not fully cooked or falling apart).
Drain them really well (I leave them in the colander in the sink for at least 10 minutes) then give them a little shake to rough up the outside.
Add to the hot oil and sprinkle some salt on, move the potatoes around so they’re completely covered in oil (you might need to drizzle a little bit more oil on at this point). Don’t overcrowd the pan, the potatoes need to be a single layer.
Roast for 20-30 minutes, once the potatoes are starting to go brown then turn them over in the pan so they’re completely covered cook evenly and add some garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Then roast for another 10-15 minutes until they’re your preferred shade of brown.

Sprouts I cut in half and fully cook in heavily salted water. In a wok I toast chopped chestnuts or slivered almonds in some butter. Then add the sprouts and fry until there are some light brown spots.

If you make cauliflower cheese then my top tip is to parboil the cauliflower until it’s tender and drain fully. Then dry roast the cauliflower in the oven dish that you’re using whilst you make the cheese sauce. This ensures the cauliflower is completely dry (no horrible watery sauce) and also adds to the flavour. Then you just pour the cheese sauce on top (if you add a tiny bit of English mustard it really intensifies the cheese flavour) and stir through. Then add more cheese on top and bake.

https://amp.theguardian.com/food/2024/dec/04/how-to-make-braised-red-cabbage-christmas-ecipe-felicity-cloake
This is my favourite red cabbage recipe. Although I substitute half the vinegar for red wine, add an extra onion, only use 2tbs of sugar, and add 1/2 an extra apple instead of the cranberry sauce.

https://www.cookingismessy.com/2015/11/19/mushroom-and-leek-stuffing/
This veggie stuffing is delicious (you can swap the pecans with toasted chestnuts or toasted and roughly chopped hazelnuts if you prefer).

https://www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/recipes/braised-leeks-and-peas/ These are nice for a simple and less heavy side dish (I add a tiny bit of lemon zest too). You can also add some pancetta if you have meat eaters as well.

These are my favourites too. All my vegetarian friends eat 'any cheese' but some apparently don't so worth checking they are ok with Parmesan.
I also do Delia's red cabbage using a Schwartz mulled wine sachet instead of the fresh spices - I find it more subtle.

I then do plain carrot sticks, mashed swede, and sprouts as with all the other flavours of stuffing, pigs in blankets, turkey, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, gravy etc, I don't think every veg needs anything additional.

Roast potatoes: par boil for 5 mins; drain and shake the pan with the lid on to bash them a bit. Make sure the fat is really got and allow longer than you might think to ensure extra crispy

Thank you all so much!
@Crumpetandcake all sounds amazing!

@SorrowsPrayers delicious!

@OMGitsnotgood cabbage sounds great!