The thyme is essential here, adding an important herbal note to the general sugar-fest. You need something savory alongside, and nothing works quite so well as gloriously rare roast beef. Sausages come a close second.
Recipe information
Yield
enough for 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Peel the parsnips and remove the tops. Slice each in half unless they are truly enormous, in which case quarters might be better. Put them into a roasting pan with the thick slice of butter and a spoonful of beef dripping (or more butter). Season with salt and black pepper, then roast for thirty-five to forty minutes, until the parsnips are soft and golden. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and add them to the vegetables with the maple syrup, turning the parsnips over as you go. Continue to roast for twenty minutes or so, until the surface of the vegetables is sticky and golden, the flesh soft and sweetly tender.
