Roasted Parsnips With Citrus

Stumped for a non-standard Thanksgiving side-dish? This comes together in about 30 easy minutes and can make anyone a fan of parsnips. Sadly unavailable bitter Seville oranges would be perfect, so here I mix in some lemon juice to fake it.

2 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into 2" batons
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange (obviously, zest before juicing)
2 TBS lemon juice

Turn the oven to 11 (500F for non-Spinal-Tap fans).
Put parsnips in a plastic bag, add olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Toss the bag around to coat. Lightly grease large roasting pan, spread the parsnips in a single layer, and roast, shaking them around occasionally, until golden, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add juice and zest, toss to coat. Return to oven and roast until parsnips have caramelized, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.

Notes: If you're tight on oven space, you can pause the recipe just before you add the orange, refrigerate it for a few hours, and finish it later.

The sugar is there to help with the browning; leave it out if you prefer: parsnips are plenty sweet on their own.