When I was younger, I tried to argue for wearing true white in the winter (not allowed in our house) using the whiteness of winter vegetables—like potatoes, parsnips, and cauliflower—as evidence of seasonal appropriateness. Losing that argument, I continue to wear ivory during colder months, but I’m very happy to find those winter vegetables aren’t always white:

Purple mashed potatoes: Quarter 1 pound of potatoes and cover with an inch of water in a big pot. Simmer for 20 min, until a knife slides easily into, drain, mash with a big spoon in bowl, add 3/4 c of buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in chives. Season. (If you like, make a wasabi paste with 1:2 wasabi powder and water, stir in 1/2 teaspoon—I had some fresh horseradish from the market.)

Roasted parsnips: Peel, cut into matchsticks, roast for 20 min at 375 degrees after tossing with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Cool slightly, season, stir in a hearty splash of balsamic vinegar to cut the sweetness.

Roasted fractal cauliflower: Cut off leaves, flip over and core 1 head. Cut into florets 2 inches tall, halve. Spread on baking sheet and roast 25 min at 375 degrees. Cool slightly, stir together 1 tablespoon of grain mustard into 2 tablespoons oil, toss cauliflower with mustard oil. Season. (Alternately, you can slice the whole cauliflower head laterally into 1/2 inch slices as a nice base for a dish.)

All are lovely with Sunday roasts of whatever sort you subscribe to…

Related posts:

1. a justified and ancient grain in rotund squash
2. the savory side of sweet
3. a saturday brunch

1. cbd:
   January 16th, 2010 at 3:50 pm

   I think that dish would be complemented nicely by a Bell’s Winter White Ale!

2. Kristen:
   January 16th, 2010 at 3:56 pm

   Bradley, I hereby tap you as the visiting site sommelier :) Great rec.

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Posted by Kristen Taylor on Monday, January 11th, 2010, 10:46 am * Filed in brooklyn, Food. * Tags: kristen, kthread, taylor, vegetable, winter. Follow responses through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.