Hi everyone, Jess here.
Don’t fear the turnip. I know I did for many years, off-put by the bitterness I remembered from my childhood turnip experiences… boiled until soggy and bitter, never enjoyed, only tolerated, blech. This is a different era though! I’ll never forget when my oldest son was just 3 years old, and pulled a hakurei turnip from our CSA box, taking a full-on bite, then another! This was the first of many that he devoured this way. How could I not give turnips a second chance after this?
In bigger turnips, the peel is where the bitterness hides. Peel your turnip and take a little bite. See? Because it’s big, there’s a tiny peppery radish taste, but mostly you have a sweet carrot thing happening. This particular turnip is a salad variety, so they are great sliced as-is, but roasting works, too!
Smaller turnips, like the hakureis don’t need peeling, but the bigger ones definitely benefit.
If the peppery radish taste gets to you, roasting is a great way to sweeten them up.
A little toss with olive oil, butter, garlic and the like, plus a season to taste makes a big difference.
Here I sautéed some garlic and ginger in Amish roll butter for a spell before tossing it with the turnip cubes. Thyme is a nice addition too.
Just a 20 minute roast brings on a nice tenderness, and the color of this variety is lovely!
Basic Roasted Turnips
Ingredients (make them your own, this recipe is quite flexible):
- About 3 cups diced turnips
- 2 cloves minced fresh garlic
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Options- one diced apple, or 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Peel the turnip and dice into cubes (1/2 inch to 3/4 inch).
- Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat, add garlic and ginger (and thyme if using) and stir for a minute or two.
- Pour butter over turnip cubes and toss before spreading into a single layer on a a rimmed cookie sheet.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes until tender, rattling and flipping them around here and there during cooking. (If using the apple, toss it in for the last 5 minutes of cooking).
- Enjoy!