Sometimes I think if you call something the right thing, you can get anyone to eat it, and that’s exactly what I’m doing with these oven-baked parsnip fries!

Don’t get me wrong, regular crispy oven fries are certainly delicious but sometimes you just need to mix things up! I think parsnips are such an underrated vegetables, in fact, I think all root vegetables are highly underrated. Be it carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, radishes, yams or cassava – there are just so many options to try! Root veggies are cheap as chips (french fry joke) to buy and the cooking options are endless making them a very friendly and versatile ingredient option in the kitchen. Of the root vegetable family, parsnips might be a bit of an acquired taste, but that doesn’t mean you can’t acquire it. Sometimes you just have to give foods a few chances before you write them off. Parsnips themselves are closely related to carrots and parsley, and can actually be eaten raw like carrots, but I find they taste much better and sweeter roasted in the oven. Although they are often used in holiday dinners, they can certainly be used in day-to-day meals, and these oven-baked parsnip fries are a quick and easy side dish, and a welcomed change to the traditional white potatoes.