Root Vegetable Pavé

As winter comes around I look for dishes that I can bake ahead of time and eat whenever I get the urge. Casseroles, tagines and stews are great to keep around for a few days because they usually taste better a day or two after you make them. Pavé is a fancy French word that's basically defined as any food that has a rectangular shape, so if you don't want to sound too bourgie you can just change the name of this to "root vegetable gratin". I personally enjoy most things French.
The thing about this dish is that it's a hearty winter dish that can be served as a "starch", but it doesn't have russet potatoes like most root vegetable gratins. I tend to avoid conventional potatoes because I feel that other root vegetables are a lot more interesting and provide nutrients that most Americans fail to get enough of. Parsnips are a good source of calcium and magnesium as well as folate, which is the naturally occurring form of vitamin b9, a water soluble vitamin that prevents anemia and has been linked to helping fight anorexia through proper regulation of hormones in the brain.

Root Vegetable Pavé:
yd:6 squares
1 parsnip
1 carrot
1 small celery root
1 medium sweet potato
1 tsp chopped thyme
2 cloves garlic
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp celery seed
3/4 cup parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice vegetables thinly on a japanese mandolin. Toss in a mixing bowl with heavy cream and season with salt, pepper, thyme and celery seed. Layer in an enameled cast iron casserole dish. The best way to do it is to start with the celery root, then a layer of sweet potatoes, followed by parsnips. I save the carrots for the top as a garnish. In between each layer I sprinkle some shredded parmesan, but this isn't a necessary or integral part of the dish. Pour the excess cream over the gratin and cover with wax paper and foil. Bake for one hour or until tender when pierced with a skewer.