Sweet Piccolo Parsnips with Wild Garlic and Tarragon

I've used 2 rather rare ingredients in this recipe, piccolo parsnips and wild garlic. Usually you'll find them in season for a short time during the end of winter and start of spring. Piccolo parsnips are lovely once roasted and will become very sweet and tender. Wild garlic is a deceiving name and not a bulb that you could rummage for in the woods but rather a leafy spinach like green with white flowers. Raw it has a peppery taste and once sauteed a pungent garlic and slight menthol flavour comes out and marries very nicely with some caramelized parsnips. Simple to make and just the antidote to cure the Easter chocolate come-down.

1.5kg piccolo parsnips
1 teaspoon sea salt
Cracked pepper
60ml extra virgin olive oil

DRESSING:
400g wild garlic washed
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper to season
4 sprigs of tarragon
1 tablespoon brandy

METHOD:
Wash the parsnips in water and drain. Lay piccolo parsnips over 2 large baking trays and season with the salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place the parsnips in the oven set at 200oC and roast for 25 minutes then remove from oven and toss around in tray and place back in the oven and roast for a further 20 minutes.
To make the dressing place a fry pan over a high heat and add the olive oil once hot add the wild garlic and season with a little salt and pepper, cook for about 30-45 seconds till the leaves start to wilt. Tip the wild garlic in a bowl and leave to cool for 10 minutes, then pour the excess liquid from the wild garlic back in to the pan and add brandy, leaves of tarragon, a little extra salt and pepper. Place the pan over a high heat and bring to the boil for 1 minute and remove from heat.
Now its time to construct the salad, lay out half the piccolo parsnips on a serving platter followed by half the wild garlic then drizzle over with some dressing and repeat the layer again. You can serve this salad warm or at room temperature.