Baked Parsnips -- The Side Dish That Belongs at the Table

Christmas week. The kids have been wired since Tuesday. Liam wrote a letter to Santa with a paragraph and a list and a thank-you note. Nora wrote one with three things on it underlined twice each and a note that said I have been good ASK MOMMY. Both letters went up the chimney Wednesday night, which we do because Ma did and I do and it is the only chimney they will ever have because I will never live in a house with a real fireplace.

Clinic was light. Two well-checks Monday. One worried mother Tuesday whose daughter had hives — I told her it was a virus, not allergies, sat with her until she calmed down. Wednesday and Thursday I had off because I had banked time and the schedule allowed.

Group Tuesday: the last meeting of the year. Bernadette had us share one thing we were grateful for, in the room. I said this room. People nodded. I said it again. I said this room saved my life and I will be here next year. Henry said the same. Lila said the same. Bernadette had to pretend she was not crying. We let her pretend.

Wednesday Kettle: last cook in my kitchen for now. Twelve quarts. New high. I cooked from one until eight at night. Liam came down at six and said Mommy how many. I said twelve. He said wow. Nora said can we eat one. I said yes. We ate dinner standing in the kitchen out of mugs. The chicken soup that was supposed to be for someone else fed my own kids on the night before the parish kitchen.

Christmas Eve at Ma's. Late dinner. The whole family except Danny — he was on a cutter somewhere. The neighborhood came through. Patrick brought a six-pack of stout for Dad. Ma was in her good apron. I wore a sweater Sean had bought me in 2019, which I had not worn in two years because it had been too sad. It was time. It was just a sweater. I put it on. I went to dinner.

Christmas morning at my house. Liam got a baseball glove and three books. Nora got a doctor kit and a stuffed elephant and a notebook with a lock and key. She wrote in the notebook on Christmas afternoon and told me I could not read it. I respected that. We went back to Ma's at noon for the big dinner. Ham and the works. Patrick's family. Meghan's family. Aidan and Liam wrestled. Sean III ran circles. Siobhan, three months, slept on Ma's chest in the rocker.

Saturday pancakes — Christmas morning. Burned the first. The burned pancake on Christmas tasted different. I do not know how. It did.

Food of the week: Christmas ham at Ma's, with the brown sugar glaze and the cloves. Sandwiches for three days after.

Ma’s ham with the brown sugar glaze was the centerpiece, the way it always is, but what I keep thinking about is the way the whole table came together — every dish earning its place, nothing extra, nothing missing. Baked parsnips are that kind of side: quiet, a little sweet, soft enough to eat standing at a counter if you had to. After a week of twelve-quart batches and group meetings and kids running circles and putting on a sweater I wasn’t sure I was ready for, I wanted something that just did its job with no fuss. This does exactly that.

Baked Parsnips

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs parsnips, peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
2. Prepare the parsnips. Peel the parsnips and cut them into uniform 3-inch sticks, roughly 1/2 inch thick, so they cook evenly. Pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Season. In a large bowl, toss the parsnip sticks with olive oil, melted butter, honey, salt, pepper, and thyme until evenly coated.
4. Arrange on pan. Spread the parsnips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, making sure pieces are not overlapping. Crowding will steam them rather than roast them.
5. Bake. Roast for 30–35 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the parsnips are golden and caramelized at the edges and tender when pierced with a fork.
6. Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving dish. Scatter chopped parsley over the top and serve warm alongside ham or any roasted main.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 145 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 160mg