I learned to butter -roast parsnips to fold into mashed yukon gold potatoes for a very high profile dinner several of us CIA chefs were preparing.
The key is to cover a heavy, roasting pan with foil to achieve a delicious, golden caramelization of the roasted parsnips... and a lot of butter!
Roasting Root Vegetables
Turnips, parsnips & onions were my Dad's favorite Thanksgiving sides. He loved mashed rutabagas, sweet roasted, caramelized onions and turnips while we all thought the turnips and rutabagas had a funny smell!
There are so many delicious, traditional sides to enjoy at a holiday feast and I always prepare turnips to remind me of my father.
Prep Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 60 min
Ingredients
Yield: 4 portions
6 ea. Turnips, Rutabagas, Parsnips, etc... peeled
4 oz Butter, diced
t.t. Salt & Pepper
How to prepare Roasted Root Vegetables
Step 1
Peel the root vegetable, using a vegetable peeler or chef's knife for the rutabega (tougher skin).
Step 2
Cut into wedges or dice-as long as you make all of the cuts the same and approximately 1 inch so the vegetables cook quickly and evenly.
Step 3
Place the cut root vegetables into a heavy, roasting pan and season with salt & pepper, add butter, cover with foil and roast in the oven until tender and golden brown. (about 30 minutes)
Whether you're running a kitchen or building a food brand from scratch, managing food costs isn't optional—it’s foundational. Get it wrong, and profitability slips through your fingers. Get it right, and you unlock the freedom to invest in what really matters: better ingredients, better equipment, better people.
Running a successful, efficient kitchen comes down to organization and execution. A kitchen that struggles with workflow, menu execution, and communication will face higher labor costs, wasted ingredients, and frustrated staff. In this post, I’ll break down the key areas that make the biggest impact.
Discover how sustainable sourcing can reduce costs, attract eco-conscious diners, and future-proof your restaurant. Explore local sourcing, waste as a resource, and zero-waste strategies to make your restaurant more sustainable.
Looking to launch a winning food product? Learn expert strategies for food product development, from concept testing to scaling and sensory science, by CPG leader Chef Tom Griffiths.
Menu engineering is a strategic approach to balancing creativity, cost, and operational efficiency to craft a menu that works for your business and your guests. Learn how.
Often when I'm fishing, people catch bluefish or skate and throw them back. I always run over and ask to keep one or two. Bluefish are quick and easy to fabricate and a delicious dinner to prepare when I get back home from fishing all day. I prefer simply dredging in seasoned flour and frying pieces in olive oil & butter mixed together. Perfect with cold beer or white wine!
My first professional cooking job was as the poissonnier at Le Cirque in Manhattan. Occasionally the Chef asked me to make fried fingers (goujons) of flounder family meal. Being right out of culinary school, I set up the normal mise en place for standard breading; a tray of sifted flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. Chef came over and taught me the quicker method... flour the seasoned fish in a bowl, add eggs to the floured fish (same bowl) and then breadcrumbs (same bowl). (one bowl and a fraction of the time)! To this day, that’s the method I use to make crispy, fried goujons-these photos are with bluefish fillets Junnie and I caught.
I see fisherman fillet their fish, discard the head & frame! They're amazing at catching fish but have little experience fabricating or cooking the beautiful, fresh fish they get. I'm very interested in sustainability & respectful when I take a fish. I cook from head to tail... that's where the tender, 'chef' cuts are... cheeks, head, on the bones etc... which is perfect for salads, pasta, rice and this frittata. The first time I ate this frittata, I actually thought it was crabmeat!
One of the more challenging classical seafood dishes I know of requires fabricating a whole fish in to perfectly even darnes, trussing the darnes and then gently poaching in a Court Bouillon. While the darnes are still quite hot, the pin bones need to be pulled (they are on a diagonal), the butcher twine needs to be cut away, the skin needs to be peeled and the seafood must be plated without breaking... and served piping hot with Sauce Hollandaise & boiled, tourneed potatoes. I repeatedly practiced this dish for the CMC exam with a whole salmon... quite the challenge!
One of the more challenging classical seafood dishes I know of requires fabricating a whole fish in to perfectly even darnes, trussing the darnes and then gently poaching in a Court Bouillon. While the darnes are still quite hot, the pin bones need to be pulled (they are on a diagonal), the butcher twine needs to be cut away, the skin needs to be peeled and the seafood must be plated without breaking... and served piping hot with Sauce Hollandaise & boiled, tourneed potatoes. I repeatedly practiced this dish for the CMC exam with a whole salmon... quite the challenge!