While potatoes cook, add peeled, whole garlic cloves, or mash them with the potatoes. You can also add peeled and quartered rutabaga, celery root, turnip or parsnip.

As a kid I never much cared for parsnips. My dad was wild about them, but I was unmoved, figuring that if they were white and ended in "-nip," they ...

Mashed, roasted, boiled, fried: Almost anything that can be done with a potato was done with the parsnip. The introduction of the potato pushed the parsnip aside.

It's also fantastic for an at home date night served with mashed potatoes or a parsnip puree. Add a garden salad or some roasted broccoli to round out the meal.