Buttered Leeks and Parsnips

I married a meat and potatoes man. So for our entire marriage I have been cooking potatoes every which way I can think to make them and still keep myself interested. Potatoes are great, but sometimes I need a break already!

My husband is also lousy at eating vegetables, so lately I’ve been experimenting with root vegetables, trying desperately to ease him into a little variety and give myself something to eat besides another set of potatoes. And in the process, I have started a bit of a love affair. Root vegetables are divine! And criminally underused. A rutabaga? If you’ve never had one, you don’t even know what your stews are missing.

Parsnips are another new favorite of mine. They look like an albino carrot, but they taste sharper, heartier, and still with that subtle sweetness. You can use them anyplace or anyway you’d use carrots, and get a little punch of something new and wonderful to wake up your taste buds stuck in a carrot rut.

Buttered Leeks and Parsnips

3 leeks, cleaned and chopped
8 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1/2 C butter
1 qt chicken broth
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a wide saucepan and sweat the leeks until translucent. Add the parsnips and the chicken broth and cover, cooking on medium heat until the parsnips are tender. Remove the lid and let the sauce reduce until desired.

So simple, right? And incredibly versatile. Toss in some pieces of chicken and serve over rice for a simple weekday supper. Serve it as a decadent vegetable dish on Thanksgiving, or even mash it up for the most amazing substitute for mashed potatoes ever. In fact, it will even be the same color as potatoes, so your kids don’t even have to know they’re trying something new. And your husband doesn’t either.