Mashed Potatoes with Parsnip and Horseradish

An underappreciated root vegetable, the parsnip looks like a white carrot and has a slightly sweet flavor. Parsnips can be cooked in the same way you cook carrots, boiled, steamed, roasted or grilled. Unlike carrots, however, they are not good eaten raw. Try to buy them individually rather than in bags, since the bagged ones are often not as fresh and, once peeled, are usually too thin to be useful in many dishes. Parsnips are at their peak of flavor during the cold winter months when frost converts their starches to sugar.