Parsnip Gratin with Gruyere and Thyme (2024)

Parsnip Gratin with Gruyere and Thyme- a deliciously decadent vegetarian side dish, perfect for special gatherings or the holiday table! Video.

This recipe for Parsnip Gratin will become your new favorite side dish. It’s decadent and lovely and pairs well with many things, perfect for the holiday table or a simple dinner at home. New to parsnips? This recipe is just for you!

Iam baffled by the number of people who tell me they don’t like parsnips.Isn’t it true, that once we make up our mind about something or someone for that matter, it’s nearly impossible to change it?

So it won’t matter if I tell you how soulful they are. How wisely and beautifully designed they are for the coldness of winter with their rough and tumble exterior, housing the most exquisite of flavors- harmonious notes of sweetness, earthiness and depth.

Like my favorite kind of people. 😉

Yet you won’t know this unless you take the time to get to know them and experience their goodness for yourself. One thing I can do is share a parsnip recipe that might possibly convert even the most hardened of parsnip skeptics.

Parsnip Gratin Video

I’ve found, the smell alone, will melt away much of the resistance. To me, the aroma wafting from the oven when this is done, is heavenly.

Expert TIPS

Normally with recipes, I recommend playing around with them. For this recipe, however, there are few tips that will help ensure a successful outcome.

• Firstly, do not substitute whole milk or half & half for the heavy cream, or the gratin will end up watery.
• Using fresh thyme is essential.
• Using fresh whole nutmegelevates, but you may substitute ground nutmeg.
• Pecorinoor manchego cheese can be subbed for the gruyere.
• Feel free to substitute yukon gold potatoes or peeled russets for half of the parsnips.
• Using a mandolin makes this so much easier to make. If you don’t have a mandolin, slice parsnips as thinly as humanly possible.
• Lastly, it’s imperative to let this sit 15-20 minutes before serving, to ensure it sets up nicely and thickens.
• This can be made ahead, baked ahead and reheated before serving. It’s actually quite good reheated.

How to make Parsnip Gratin

It starts with peeling the parsnips.

Slice them very thinly– a mandoline makes this easy.

Thinly slice an onion. Generously butter a 6×9 baking dish.

Assemeble the Gratin

Begin layering parsnips, onion, gruyere and a little thyme.

It’s OK if this bottom and middle part is a little messy.

Reserve some of the larger more uniform pieces of parsnip for the top and arrange in nice, even, overlapping rows.

Make the Creamy Sauce

Heat heavy cream and whisk in minced garlic, salt, fresh nutmeg, white pepper, flour and thyme.

Pour cream mixture over the layered parsnips, tilting and shaking the pan so liquid coats all the nooks and crannies.

Top with the remaining gruyere, a sprinkling of thyme and a pinch of nutmeg.

Freshly ground nutmeg is more aromatic than the pre-ground spice. Buy wholenutmeg(often sold in jars in the spice section of supermarkets) and scrape it against the finest holes of abox grater, or use a micro-plane grater. It’s totally OK to use ground nutmeg, but whole will give the dish that extra special flavor.

Bake the Parsnip Gratin

Cover tightly with foil and place in a 400F oven. Bake 50 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove foil and bake 15-20 minutes uncovered, until golden and bubbly. Let stand for 15-20 minutes before serving so it has a chance to thicken and set up.

When you get to know parsnips, allowing yourself to see beyond their rough exterior, you’ll discover an unexpected sweetness. It’s quite surprising.

Have you ever met someone, who perhaps, was a little rough around the edges, not someone you envisioned becoming close to, but after spending time with them, you began to understand how they got their rough exterior and could see beyond it, to their unexpected tenderness and sweetness? These are the parsnips of the world. The ones who nourish us in their own special way.

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