Turnip Gratin

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Turnip gratin by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog copyright 2010

Turnips are one of those vegetables I had to learn to like. And I admit that I did not even try until our CSA forced my hand by including them in box after box last winter. But now, I am a convert! There are many different varieties and they're delicious braised, thinly sliced, raw in salads, and roasted.

And leave it to the dearly departed Gourmet to posthumously provide yet another delicious way to enjoy them - a turnip gratin. You'll find that this preparation gives the turnips a lovely light sweetness that pairs really nicely with the cream and Parmesan cheese. This is a perfect dish for a cold winter night.

Three trimmed turnips on the counter by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog copyright 2010

I served this with a venison-bork (that's a mixture of beef and pork) meatloaf, baked potatoes and salad. So good!

Turnip gratin by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog copyright 2010

-- print recipe --Turnip Gratin from Gourmet, October 2007
Serves 6

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 1/2 pounds medium turnips, trimmed and left unpeeled
* 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
* 1/2 tablespoon chopped savory
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* Rounded 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (use a Microplane grater)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

2. Melt butter in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet, then cool.

3. Slice turnips paper-thin with slicer, then arrange one third of slices, overlapping tightly, in skillet, keeping remaining slices covered with dampened paper towels. Sprinkle with about a third of thyme, savory, kosher salt, and cayenne. Make 2 more layers.

4.Cook, covered, over medium heat until underside is browned, about 10 minutes. Add cream and cook, covered, until center is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Sprinkle evenly with cheese, then bake, uncovered, until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

You might also like:
For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

2 comments:

SpanishEduktr said...

One great thing to add to this recipe that I always did (courtesy of having once been married to a chef). I would put the slices into a bath of hot milk and water with garlic pieces and simmer it for a few minutes to par-cook. That takes that funky sharp taste and adds a great undercurrent of garlic flavor to the dish, too. Also, rutabaga works beautifully too and makes a tasty side dish for a ham dinner.

SpanishEduktr said...

Just saw this recipe and wanted to suggest something I always did when I made this dish which was to simmer them in a big pot with a milk/water 1/2 each and garlic chunk mixture for a few minutes. This neutralizes that funky taste and adds more garlic flavor.....(and by the way, rutabaga goes great in this dish, too - and a great side dish to a ham roast)

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Turnip Gratin

Turnip gratin by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog copyright 2010

Turnips are one of those vegetables I had to learn to like. And I admit that I did not even try until our CSA forced my hand by including them in box after box last winter. But now, I am a convert! There are many different varieties and they're delicious braised, thinly sliced, raw in salads, and roasted.

And leave it to the dearly departed Gourmet to posthumously provide yet another delicious way to enjoy them - a turnip gratin. You'll find that this preparation gives the turnips a lovely light sweetness that pairs really nicely with the cream and Parmesan cheese. This is a perfect dish for a cold winter night.

Three trimmed turnips on the counter by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog copyright 2010

I served this with a venison-bork (that's a mixture of beef and pork) meatloaf, baked potatoes and salad. So good!

Turnip gratin by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog copyright 2010

-- print recipe --Turnip Gratin from Gourmet, October 2007
Serves 6

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 1/2 pounds medium turnips, trimmed and left unpeeled
* 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
* 1/2 tablespoon chopped savory
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* Rounded 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (use a Microplane grater)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

2. Melt butter in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet, then cool.

3. Slice turnips paper-thin with slicer, then arrange one third of slices, overlapping tightly, in skillet, keeping remaining slices covered with dampened paper towels. Sprinkle with about a third of thyme, savory, kosher salt, and cayenne. Make 2 more layers.

4.Cook, covered, over medium heat until underside is browned, about 10 minutes. Add cream and cook, covered, until center is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Sprinkle evenly with cheese, then bake, uncovered, until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

You might also like:
For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

2 comments:

SpanishEduktr said...

One great thing to add to this recipe that I always did (courtesy of having once been married to a chef). I would put the slices into a bath of hot milk and water with garlic pieces and simmer it for a few minutes to par-cook. That takes that funky sharp taste and adds a great undercurrent of garlic flavor to the dish, too. Also, rutabaga works beautifully too and makes a tasty side dish for a ham dinner.

SpanishEduktr said...

Just saw this recipe and wanted to suggest something I always did when I made this dish which was to simmer them in a big pot with a milk/water 1/2 each and garlic chunk mixture for a few minutes. This neutralizes that funky taste and adds more garlic flavor.....(and by the way, rutabaga goes great in this dish, too - and a great side dish to a ham roast)