Mashed carrots and parsnips were a frequent dinnertime side in our house when I was a little girl. And let me confess, I hated the mixture.
But no matter how much I begged my Mom to spare me this weekly "treat", these root vegetables regularly appeared alongside my roast chicken and potatoes.
"Just one bite!" I can still hear her instructions. Dutifully, I let a miniscule amount pass my lips, before grimacing in disgust. But believe it or not, her persistence paid off. Today I love this earthy veggie combination.
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Textured Mash
Most recipes recommend a vegetable pureé when pairing carrots and parsnips, but in Ireland the texture is seldom silky smooth, with a slightly lumpy mash preferred.
I'm really doing a bad job of making these veggies sound appetizing. By now, you probably have visions of me being force fed "lumpy" mash.
But honestly, this combo is truly satisfying and is wonderful alongside roast turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or to set off a Sunday roast beef.
Another mashed root vegetable loved by the Irish is mashed rutabaga or turnip, as we say in the Emerald Isle.
Today's post and recipe tutorial is all about how to cook this popular side dish - Irish carrot and parsnip mash.
Ingredients for Carrot and Parsnip Mash
Here's a quick list of what you'll need. The exact quantities are available in US and Metric versions in the printable recipe at the bottom of this post.
- carrots
- parsnips
- butter
- cream
- salt and pepper to season.
Irish parsnip and carrot mash doesn't have any fancy onion or garlic flavors added. It's simply the two veggies combined with butter, cream, salt and pepper.
I use white pepper for this recipe since that's what my mom always used. I only discovered black pepper when I came to America. So, I stick to white pepper and, truth be told, I don't like black speckles in the middle of this lightly orange colored mash.
I don't add any herbs to the veggies as they cook. You could experiment by adding a sprig of fresh thyme or rosemary to the vegetables as they cook. Be sure to remove it before mashing them together.
A little freshly ground nutmeg can be added to the mash for a little extra flavor.
I use butter and cream so this is not a dairy-free recipe, but it is gluten-free. To make it vegan substitute a vegan cream and butter alternative.
Directions for Making Carrot and Parsnip Mash
Carrots are harder than parsnips and take longer to cook. To make sure your parsnips don't go mushy while you wait for your carrots to tenderize you have a few options.
- First, you can just chop the carrots into smaller pieces than the parsnips, and boil the vegetables together in the same pot for the same amount of time.
- Or you can give the carrots a head start before adding the parsnips. If boiling the vegetables a 7 minute lead time is good, but if steaming, the carrots need at least 10 minutes extra cooking.
- Or you can do what my mom always did, and cook the parsnips and carrots in two separate saucepans, and only combine them when they are tender, drained and ready to mash.
I find option 1 difficult, since I can never accurately estimate the right size for each vegetable.
Since I don't like cleaning too many saucepans, I usually go for option 2 and give my carrots a little head start on the parsnips.
I also like to steam the veggies, so I don't risk burning my fingers when adding parsnips to simmering water.
So steam the carrots for about 10 minutes, then add the parsnips.
Steam them both for about 20 more minutes until they are fork tender.
Drain the vegetables and return them to the bottom pan.
Mash them together using a potato masher.
Some people like to add them to a food processor or blender to make a puree, but usually a little bit of texture is retained in the mash. That's why I like to manually combine the two cooked vegetables.
Add the butter and cream and mash together a little more.
Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
Transfer into a serving dish and garnish with a nice knob of butter.
Feel free to add a little green with some parsley if you like as a garnish. You'll have all the colors of the Irish flag, green, white and orange.
I never saw fancy parsley on my carrot and parsnip mash as a child, so I just stuck to a nice piece of melting butter to garnish this dish for its photo shoot.
These veggie combination is usually served alongside mashed potatoes in Ireland.
Recipe Card for Irish Style Carrot and Parsnip Mash
Hope you all enjoy this ever so Irish vegetable side dish. Here's a short video summarizing the steps.
Here's the printable recipe.
Thank you for checking out my Irish recipes and ramblings
Carrot and Parsnip Mash
Ingredients
- 3 large carrots
- 2 medium parsnips
- 2 ounces butter
- 2 tablespoons cream
- ⅛ teaspoon salt to season
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper to season
Instructions
- Wash and peel the carrots and parsnips. Cut evenly in ½ inch slices.
- Place the carrots in a steamer, add water to the pan base. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the parsnips to the carrots in the steamer. Simmer for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Drain the vegetables. Return them to the pot. Add the butter and cream and mash the vegetables together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm and garnish with butter and parsley if desired.
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
Thank you for checking out my Irish recipes and ramblings.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
Here are some more recipes and ramblings you might enjoy...
Irish Breakfast
- Poached Eggs On Grated Potato Cakes
- Pumpkin Beetroot Soda Bread A Healthy Twist On An Irish Favorite
- Blackberry Whiskey Jam
- Leftover Corned Beef Hash
Irish Side Dishes
- Colcannon - A Traditional Irish Halloween Dish
- How To Cook Rutabaga Or Turnip Irish Style
- Healthy Honey Roasted Parsnips Recipe
- Buttered Baby Carrots
Deirdre
I love it too and now my american family do too
Irish American Mom
Deirdre - I love to make a big batch of carrot and parsnip mash on a Sunday - then it's easy to microwave it as a side during the week. Glad to hear your American family love this side dish too.
All the best,
Mairéad
Thomas Porter
Thanks for the recipe, I'll try it, I was thinking maybe sweetening with brown sugar.
Irish American Mom
Thomas - I hope you enjoy this vegetable pairing. My Irish taste buds find these two vegetables to be plenty sweet without any added sugar, but a little bit of brown sugar may add an extra zing which you may enjoy.
Thanks so much for checking out my recipes.
Mairéad
Maureen O Hanlon
Ah, Mairead I love this combination of Carrots and parsnips, its fab, I always do it, the way my mother taught me to boil them was put the carrots in the bottom first and lay the parsnips on top of them as the carrots take longer to boil, she must have seeing me doing this in reverse and told me always put the carrots in first :):) and she used to add the butter straight away and let it mingle in the mixture while boiling and she used to put in the salt and pepper at the start as well, amazing all the different ways of cooking them, I had a visitor one time to my house and she boiled turnip and carrots tog making dinner , strange but nice, i didnt cling on to it anymore never did it myself, prefer carrots and parsnips, :):) thank you for your lovely recipie, never knew about the cream, definately going to do that, 🙂 🙂
Have a good day
Maureen
Irish American Mom
Hi Maureen - The carrots taking longer to cook than the parsnips is an important lesson, otherwise you can end up with pure mushed parsnips at the end. My mom used to cook them in too separate saucepans to make sure she got both veggies exactly tender. I do one pot, but give the carrots a head start. I like a little drop of cream in this mix. Probably not as heart healthy as a non-fat version, but I always say a little drop of cream won't hurt me. 🙂
All the best,
Mairéad
Stiofán
Mairead this is great to see. I was just reading your Sausage roll recipe from 2011 (which i'm making tomorrow) and wondered what you were posting lately.
This was a regular side dish in our house growing up in the 80s and I have memories of my Mam adding a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg to entice us to eat it.
As an adult now living in the US for 20 years I still love it and my American wife does too. A real winter root veggie treat.
Cheers
Stiofán
Irish American Mom
Hi Stiofán - There are few foods that can compare to the good, old fashioned food of our youth. Simple cooking, but just delicious. Your mom took things to another level altogether by adding cinnamon or nutmeg. I'd say that made this mash really delicious and more appealing to kiddie palates.
Glad to hear you have shared this recipe with your American family.
All the best,
Mairéad
Maureen O Hanlon
Thank you Mairead,
I love your recipies and pictures of how to do them .
definately going to do my roast potatoes your way next time.
Maureen
Irish American Mom
Thanks so much for checking out my recipes, Maureen. I really appreciate all your support and kind words.
Take care,
Mairéad
Sheila
I like to prep as much food as I can the day before Thansksgiving, Christmas
Could you make this dish the day before and heat up for next day?
Irish American Mom
Sheila - This veg works fine for pre-making and reheating. I often make a batch on a Sunday and save the leftovers for re-heating in the microwave during the week.
Best wishes and happy Thanksgiving cooking.
Mairead
Sheila
Made this dish for Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big hit! I loved how easy it was to make. Thanks for sharing. I'll be making it again for sure 🙂
Sheila
Irish American Mom
Sheila - Thanks so much for stopping by with your seal of approval for this Irish recipe. This mash truly is a great side for turkey dinner.
All the best,
Mairéad
Vi
I LOVE carrot and parsnip - yes I am Irish. DH and I made this weekly while we lived in Cali for 18 years and our US friends were big fans of it. I have never used cream though - butter was sufficient and a definite YES on the white pepper vs black pepper. Some things are just better with white pepper and carrot and parsnip is one of them!! Thanks for sharing your lovely recipes. I came across you on Pinterest and immediately followed
Jean
I'm American and I've never seen a recipe for parsnips and carrots I didn't know where it come from it's been on my family's table as long as I can remember and always my favorite sidedish. Nice to know from what part of my heritage it come from and the lovely tip to give the carrots a head start explains why mine doesn't taste like my grandmothers.
Irish American Mom
Hi Jean - I'm delighted to hear my little carrot and parsnip mash recipe helped you trace which part of your heritage this side dish hails from. It's an Irish favorite. Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my recipes.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Sean
As an Irish person, I can hear your childhood angst. Yet, I made this lovely veg side dish last night, and it is such good comfort food, especially in an Irish January.
I added butter, white pepper, and a dollop of honey. A little sprinkling of parsley, and I could eat it straight from the bowl with a slice of soda bread. Yum!
Irish American Mom
Hi Sean - Despite my childhood fear of parsnips, I now love them. Roasted, mashed, or in stews and soups - I can't get enough of them. I like your little touches for taking this simple side dish to the next level.
Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my recipe. I appreciate your Irish seal of approval.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Cheron McAleece
Can you give the carrot and parsnip quantities in grams or ounces? I find that "large" and "small" tend to be relative to where you live. Here in Southern California, where most of the food is grown, our produce tends to be HUGE so when I find recipes that specify only sizes, or even cups (how many cups of broccoli, carrots, etc. depends on how small you cut them . . again, relative) I have way more produce than the recipe calls for.
I'm sort of newly adventurous with my cooking, so I'm not able to eyeball the amounts quite yet.
Thanks!!
PS, I *LOVE* your recipe for Irish Shepherd's Pie with Guinness (http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Irish-Shepherds-Pie-With-Guinness-901958). I always make some with lamb, some with beef and some with that meat substitute sh*% people eat these days. I make them in little individual casserole dishes and then freeze or refrigerate them and eat them for weeks. They're AMAZING!.
Irish American Mom
Hi Cheron - A large carrot usually weighs around 4 ounces. I recommend 12 ounces of carrots and 8 ounces of parsnips for this recipe.
I' delighted to hear my shepherd's pie recipe gets your two thumbs up, and that you enjoy it with lamb or beef or fake meat. I've made it with meat substitute too and it tastes great.
Best wishes, and thanks for checking out my recipe and ramblings.
Mairéad
Nora
I remember this side dish served with our Sunday roast when I was a child in Ireland. Thanks for bringing back memories.
Irish American Mom
Hi Nora - This is a tried and true Irish recipe, for sure. I think this side featured on many Sunday dinner menus in Ireland in years gone by.
All the best,
Mairéad
Irish American Mom
Thanks for linking to my recipe, Sheila. I really appreciate it.
All the best,
Mairéad