Absolutely not! Boiling parsnips before roasting will add moisture and prevent caramelization in the oven. This Malliard Reaction - a tasty chemical reaction that happens when plant sugars and amino acids in meat cook to higher temperatures - happens best in the absence of moisture. So boiling parsnips before roasting will allow the roots to absorb water, which can then create steam during roasting. The parsnips may still brown toward the end of roasting, but not as well.