Roasted Parsnips and Carrots with Herbs

On his last visit, Techie Smurf left me with about a pound of parsnips in the fridge.  I had never bought parsnips before, much less cooked them, and was totally at a loss.

I vaguely recalled an episode of Good Eats using parsnips, so I went to the Food Network website.  I didn't feel like making any of Alton Brown's, but there was another recipe for roasted veggies with thyme.  I took some of the comments in mind and fiddled with the recipe to make the carrots come out softer.

*1/2 lb parsnips
1/2 lb carrots
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried parsley
1 Tb olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt

1.  Start a 2 quart pot of water boiling.  Peel parsnips and carrots and cut into even pieces.  I got three lengths out of mine.  The pointy end stayed whole, the middle one I cut in half, and the base one cut in fourths, so they were all about the same size.

2.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place carrots in boiling water.  After two minutes, add the parsnips.  After two more minutes, drain and run under cold water.  You're just blanching them to par-cook them.  Otherwise, root vegetables take forever in the oven.

3.  Toss carrots and parsnips in oil.  Add thyme, parsley, and salt and toss again.  Spread in a single layer in a casserole.  Place in oven and bake until parsnips are slightly browned, about 15 minutes.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  π