Freezing potatoes and parsnips for roasting

alm721

Hi there, whats the best way to pre prepare potatoes and parsnips for roasting on Christmas day. I'd like to try and save myself some faff on the day and thought that if I could peel and freeze the pots and parrsnips this would be good. Questions is will this work ok and whats the best way to do it. Just peel blanch and freeze as with other veg or would I be better to cook them and freeze them to re warm as it were? Will it make any/much difference to the taste, does anyone else do this?

Any help gratefully recieved.

Thanks

esmf73

I've tried this (with potatoes) and my Mum has told me that all I'll end up with is a black mush as the potatoes defrost. I looked at them in the freezer last night and they look OK, so I'm going to chance it.

Parsnips - I just peel them and then freeze them, putting them straight out of the freezer into the hot oven. These work every time. x

SunnyGirl

I have done my roast potatoes like this for ages now and it always works. I parboil them as usual then put onto a roasting tray & brush with oil then cook until they're just starting to brown in a hot oven. I then pat any excess oil off them, cool them and freeze on a tray for a day until they are solid. I then bag them and to use them I put the oven on hot and cook from frozen until they're browned. They're always crispy & just as tasty as when made 'on the day' as it were.

It was one of the first tips I picked up from this board when I first joined :T

I've done the same with the parsnips this year too. I always parboil them for 5 mins, drain then roast as for the potatoes. I've already done the carrots too - boiled for 3 minutes then plunged into a bowl of iced water to cool then dried off and bagged up.

Hope this helps

Linda32

I do ours on christmas eve and leave in the saucepan in water over night, always have done.

notadamsmith_3

Linda32 wrote: »

I do ours on christmas eve and leave in the saucepan in water over night, always have done.

Linda, I'm told that if you salt the soaking water the nutrients leach out of the potatoes, so maybe best in unsalted water. Not that I suppose any of us lack nutrients, just thought info was interesting.