My son and I LOVE parsnips with our roasts. And the crispier the better. These crispy honey roast parsnips have a secret ingredient which guarantees super crunchiness every time. We are going to coat them in a little oil, then in crunchy, golden like the sun polenta. On top of that, we are going to drizzle honey over them to take the sweetness up a notch. And they go perfectly with ANY roast dinner. You are going to love them!
What is Polenta?
For those who don’t know exactly what polenta is, it is maize (corn) that is ground down into coarse flour or meal. It’s deep yellow in colour and slightly sweet in flavour. Its coarse texture, makes it the perfect crunchy coating. And because it’s made of corn, it’s naturally gluten-free. It’s very similar to cornmeal used in the US, it’s just a bit coarser so it stays crispier when you use it as a coating. It’s pretty readily available everywhere these days, you should be able to buy it in most supermarkets.
How to Cook My Crispy Honey Roast Parsnips
Watch me make these Crispy Honey Roast Parsnips step-by-step before or as you cook.
Prep Ahead
Cooking a roast with all the trimmings is time consuming, so I like to make my life a little easier on cook day by prepping as much as I can the day before. Usually I peel and chop all my root vegetables and put them in large food containers or bowls full of cold water. This stops prepared parsnips and potatoes going brown, and keeps chopped carrots nice and fresh.
Kids Cook Too
Let the kids get their hands messy by tossing the parsnips in the oil and polenta.
My Crispy Honey Parsnips Pair Perfectly With…
Feed a Crowd
This recipe is easily doubled if you are entertaining friends or family, just be sure to use a large roasting pan.
Storing My Crispy Honey Roast Parsnips
You can store leftover roast parsnips in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (cook day + 2). You can also freeze them, just defrost them for 24 hours in the fridge before you reheat. If you reheat them in the microwave they will lose much of their crispiness. Alternatively, reheat them in the oven on an greased baking tray and at the same temperature for 6-7 minutes.
For more on safe food storage and reheating read here >
Diet Details
My Crispy Honey Roast Parsnips are gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian and vegan.
Adapting My Crispy Honey Roast Parsnips for Your Family
Here, I give tips for making this recipe to share with the whole family, including children of different ages and stages.
Keeping Picky Eaters Happy
Children tend to like parsnips because of their sweetness. They also tend to like foods that are crispy. If you aren’t sure about the coating for your fussy eater, you can always leave a few pieces of parsnip to the side of the pan, coated in just oil and not the polenta.
See more from me on fussy eaters here >
Making Them Baby & Toddler Friendly
We need to tweak this recipe slightly for little ones. The best thing to do is to leave the polenta coating and the salt off a few parsnips pieces for them. Add all the parsnips to the pan and add in the oil only. Then take a couple of the thinnest parsnip pieces, turn them around in a little of the oil and set aside for now. Next, add in the polenta and seasoning to the pan and toss the rest of the parsnips in it. Then add the plain parsnips back into the pan, in a corner. If your little one is under 1 year old, remove their parsnips from the roasting pan when you take them out the oven to add the honey, they should be cooked through at this point, especially if you select the thinnest pieces. Babies under 12 months should not be given honey.
How to Serve to Babies & Toddlers
BABY-LED WEANING
Baby-led weaners can eat the thinner parsnip sticks as is. Otherwise slice in half lengthways thicker parsnip pieces for them.
SPOON-FEEDING
If you are spoon-feeding your little one, I recommend you prepare their serving as follows:
6 months
Roughly chop the uncoated parsnip and add to your stick blender pot, or food chopper (one that purées) along with the rest of little one’s meal and whizz into a purée. Add a little warm boiled water to loosen and a drop of gravy or low-salt stock.
7-12 months
Mash the uncoated parsnip pieces with the back of a fork. You may need to fork out the inside if the outside is too tough to mash. Alternatively, roughly chop along with the rest of baby’s meal and whizz in your food chopper until finely chopped for 7-9 month olds, or go for a more lumpy, chopped consistency for 10-12 month olds. Add a little warm boiled water and a drop of gravy or low-salt stock to loosen as needed.
1 year +
Chop the parsnips into bite-size pieces using a sharp knife and fork.
I’ve also added these notes at the bottom of the recipe so you have them to hand when you come to cook.
See more on how I keep my family meals baby & toddler friendly here >
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CRISPY HONEY ROAST PARSNIPS
Equipment
- Chef’s knife + chopping board + peeler
- Scales + measuring spoons
- Tongs or turner
Ingredients
- 500 g parsnips peeled & trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons polenta divided into 2 + 1
- Salt to taste
- Honey for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200ºc/180ºc fan/400ºf/gas 6. Cut the thinner ends off the parsnips. Leave these whole if skinny, if thick, slice them in half lengthways. Then slice the thicker top end into half (or quarters if very large). Add the parsnips to a medium roasting tray. Drizzle with the oil toss well.
- Then sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of the polenta and salt. Toss the parsnips until fully coated. Then arrange in one layer with little gaps around each piece. Sprinkle over the other 1 tablespoon of polenta.
- Transfer to the oven and roast for 40 minutes, then turn them over, drizzle with honey and return to oven for a further 10 minutes, until golden and crispy.
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