Preheat the oven to 200C. Begin by combining the flour, finely grated Parmesan, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.
Peel the parsnips using a potato peeler, then halve them lengthways and quarter them so you end up with smallish chunks.
Now pop the parsnips in a pan, pour in enough boiling water just to cover them and season with salt. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Drizzle the olive oil over a large roasting tin, put the butter in the centre and place in the oven to preheat.
Then, as soon as the parsnips are ready, drain them in a colander and add them to the flour and parmesan mixture while still steaming. This will help the mixture to stick to the parsnips.
Remove the tin from the oven and quickly place the parsnips side by side in the tin.
Place the tin in the oven and bake them for 20 minutes, then turn and continue to bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until they are crisp and golden.
Notes
Roasting vegetables is a fantastic way of feeding a crowd with little effort. They would also be delicious if you wanted to prepare a selection of similarly prepared root vegetables such as celeriac, carrots or turnips.