Horseradish

Sweet Potato & Parsnip Mash

March 26, 2011
3.5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This is a variation on the technique Cook's Illustrated uses for making mashed sweet potatoes. I've used half sweet potatoes and half parsnips. To add some dimension I've incorporated freshly grated horseradish root. I've cooked part of the horseradish root with the vegetables to soften it's pungency plus stirred some in after cooking for added pizzazz. I find the combination to be sweet with enough of a bite to add interest, but not clear the sinuses! If you don't find it to be sweet enough, add a small amount of sweetener. Feel free to adjust the pungency to your taste with additional horseradish. —hardlikearmour

Test Kitchen Notes

I'm always a fan of recipes that only dirty one dish from start to finish. The parsnips are wonderful with the sweet potatoes. The kick of horseradish adds something special to the dish and a tablespoon of maple syrup made it complete. - biffbourgeois —Stephanie Bourgeois

Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
  • 1 & 1/4 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
  • 1 pound parsnips
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1 packed tablespoon freshly grated horseradish, divided
  • additional salt and horseradish to taste
  • sugar, maple syrup, or honey if needed to sweeten
Directions
  1. Peel sweet potatoes and parsnips, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices.
  2. Combine sweet potato and parsnip slices, cream, butter, salt, and half of the horseradish root in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened. This will take about 40 to 50 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher to desired texture. Stir in half of remaining horseradish making sure to incorporate well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, additional horseradish, and/or sweetener if needed. Serve hot.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

I am an amateur baker and cake decorator. I enjoy cooking, as well as eating and feeding others. I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my husband and our menagerie. I enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, mushroom hunting, tide pooling, beach combing, and snowboarding.

21 Reviews

Brette W. November 30, 2013
Made this for Thanksgiving -- it was perfect. Since we keep kosher, I subbed oil for the butter and almond milk for the cream -- still totally delicious.
Sandra L. November 22, 2013
loved this recipe. I will try this thanksgiving.
Karen P. November 20, 2013
If you are not fond of the "bite" of horseradish, you can saute the horseradish in a bit of butter -- this gives it a nice, soft, nutty flavor -- and add it when you are mashing the parsnips and potatoes. (I frequently prepare just parsnips this way it is one of my family's favorite vegetable dishes.)
QueenSashy November 14, 2012
Love this recipe, have a crowd coming next week for a post-Thanksgiving feast and I am definitely going to give it a try.
hardlikearmour November 15, 2012
I really love the combo of parsnips and sweet potatoes, and I hope you do to!
pickled November 23, 2011
Be sure to purchase the orange-fleshed variety of sweet potato. Our local grocery labels the orange sweet potatoes incorrectly as yams so our family Thanksgiving grocery runner purchased the white flesh variety labeled sweet potatoes instead. We attempted this recipe with the white variety and it simply did not work. It came out bland and boring.
hardlikearmour November 24, 2011
Yikes! I'm sorry to hear that. I never use the white-fledged sweet potatoes so it didn't occur to me to specify.
EmilyC October 17, 2011
Congrats on the Editors' Pick, HLA! I love sweet potatoes and parsnips but have never combined them before. Saving your recipe -- it looks and sounds so delicious.
hardlikearmour October 17, 2011
Thanks, EmilyC! They are a great combo. I was just looking at your sweet potato with bacon and arugula recipe and thinking how amazing it sounded! Congrats yourself.
wssmom September 25, 2011
How did I miss this first time around? LOVE the horseradish!
hardlikearmour September 25, 2011
Thanks, wssmom! The horseradish is really nice with the sweet veggies - it adds a little punch w/out being overwhelming.
fiveandspice March 28, 2011
Yum! Just yum!
hardlikearmour March 28, 2011
thanks, 5&spice. My tummy thought it was yummy!
gingerroot March 28, 2011
This looks really yummy. I love the contrast of sweet and hot, with the cream and butter rounding everything out.
hardlikearmour March 28, 2011
thanks, gingerroot! It's a nice flavor combo.
checker March 27, 2011
For some reason I get locked in on a veggie for a few weeks at a time, and I have been into parsnips for about three weeks now. I think I'll be making this soon.
hardlikearmour March 27, 2011
Parsnips is one of my favorites! I'm actually working on a parsnip cake (think carrot cake) recipe currently. Hope to get it posted in the fairly near future.
TheWimpyVegetarian March 26, 2011
This looks really wonderful! I hadn't thought of the sweet potato-parsnip-horseradish combo. It sounds perfect!
hardlikearmour March 26, 2011
It was a case of me getting some fresh horseradish w/o having an idea of what to do with it, then looking through the fridge and pantry! It worked out well - nice combo of sweet with a little kick from the horseradish.
Sagegreen March 26, 2011
Love the way this is tempered with the cream. Delicious!
hardlikearmour March 26, 2011
Cream does have a way of making things especially yummy!