Weeknight Carrots and Parsnips With Dried Cranberries

Amarante

Wed, Jan 27 2021, 11:23 am

This was excellent. I love parsnips and I couldn't wait to try this dish. It's a relatively rich preparation (although not high fat) so I served with a relatively simple London Broil but would be delicious with a roast chicken as well.

It is pretty simple to make as I prepped the veggies earlier and then just put it together when I was ready to cook.

It's a Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen which generally means it is going to work well provided the ingredients appeal to you.

Weeknight Carrots and Parsnips With Dried Cranberries

Excerpt From: America's Test Kitchen - Cook It in Your Dutch Oven

SERVES 4 TO 6 TOTAL TIME 45 MINUTES

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Root vegetables are often roasted, but braising offers a benefit that roasting can’t—namely, a braising liquid that becomes an elegant serving sauce. We wanted our sauce to coat the vegetables and infuse them with flavor. Tasters liked the natural sweetness of carrots and parsnips; a mixture of chicken broth and apple cider offered both depth and complementary sweet-tart flavor. Reducing the liquid slightly before adding the vegetables concentrated its flavor, and because the pot was covered the vegetables cooked evenly and didn’t dry out. Whisking in some butter and Dijon mustard at the end emulsified the sauce and gave it a silky texture and some body. Dried cranberries and fresh parsley lent color and bright, fresh flavor.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces - I used Country Crock plant butter
1 shallot, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced on bias ¼ inch thick
1 pound parsnips, peeled and sliced on bias ¼ inch thick
½ cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth, cider, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Bring to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in carrots and parsnips. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 14 minutes.

2 Off heat, discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves and stir in cranberries. Push vegetable mixture to sides of pot. Add mustard, parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter to center and whisk into cooking liquid. Stir to coat vegetable mixture with sauce. Serve.