Roasted turnips, shallots, garlic, and rosemary

Growing up in the South for part of my childhood, I was served a lot of turnip greens. They were braised along with the turnip root, which I disliked intensely.  I would look at my family enthusiastically eating the turnip roots and wonder if I was adopted.  Years later, I ate my first roasted turnips and it was as if I had tasted another vegetable entirely.  Roasting is perfect for turnips. Their natural sweetness is brought to the fore, and the contrast between the caramelized exterior and moist interior is marvelous. Now I love turnip roots--if they are roasted. 

As usual, there are strong opinions about turnip worthiness in my family. The majority position seems to be that only purple top turnips are worth eating.  The turnips pictured above are the purple top variety, but I admit to eating delicious small white turnips on other occasions. I know that's heresy, but there you go.   I've always been the real rebel in the family.

This recipe from Cook's Illustrated is very good, combining roasted garlic and shallots with the turnips.  The recipe says it serves four, but I think that's a bit stingy.  It barely served two people adequately at my dinner table. But vegetables are often the real star, not a side dish, at our meals.  Roasted chicken and wilted watercress accompanied the turnips very nicely.

Roasted Turnips, Shallots, and Garlic with Rosemary

Serves 4
1    medium head garlic 
1 1/2    pounds turnips or rutabagas, peeled and cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces
4    shallots , peeled
2    tablespoons unsalted butter melted, or vegetable or olive oil, or a combination
1    teaspoon dried rosemary (crumbled), or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or thyme
table salt 
ground black pepper 

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. If roasting garlic cloves in skins, simply break head into individual cloves. If you wish to roast cloves out of skins, put whole, unpeeled head in a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring water to boil, then simmer to soften cloves and loosen skins, about 10 minutes. Drain and refresh garlic head under cold water. Separate cloves and peel.

2. Put vegetables (excluding garlic) into a roasting pan large enough to hold them without crowding. Toss vegetables with butter and/or oil, rosemary or thyme, and sprinkle with salt. Roast, stirring or shaking vegetables every 15 minutes for 30 minutes. Add garlic. Raise heat to 425 degrees and continue roasting until tender and evenly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper; taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Comments

[Glenna]

Yes! I grew up with the whole turnip debate too. I never liked the root either until I was served a dish similar to this in a 4-star restaurant, no less. But hey, it was at the Peabody Hotel (home of the famous ducks and where a scene in Tom Cruise's The Firm was filmed)in Memphis so if anyone is going to do turnips right it's going to be in Memphis. They were fabulous. I kid you not I've often thought about how sweet, savory, and delicious those freaking turnips were and can't remember much else about the meal.

I'm definitely going to print out and try this recipe! Yummy! Thanks for this one, Sher!

[sher]

Ahh, the Peabody Hotel. I've always wanted to see those little ducks do their march to and from their room. Roasting seems to make any root vegetable taste better. My favorite is roasted carrots, which would taste very good in with those turnips.

Sher

[Glenna]

mmmm....roasted carrots....Homer drool....absolutely! My personal favorite is roasted vidalia onions. I'm always the guy stealing all the onions out of the pot roast (roasted pot roast, not the weird boiled roast thing that some people do) and hoarding them to mash up into my potatoes that are roasted along with the meat. Bit yum!

The ducks are adorable. Remember the BBQ scene in The Firm where Tom and Jeanne Tripplehorn first meet all the partners in Memphis. That was filmed on the roof of the Peabody. That's actually where the ducks live when they're not being paraded aroudn the hotel. They have their own little mansion and everything. I'm not kidding. Their own little victorian mansion. On the roof. It's adorable. The ducks live better than I do. For that house on the roof I'd waddle around and splash in the fountain three times a day myself. For a cocktail at happy hour I might even sing while I do it.

[Gerald]

Ahh Memphis. I worked in Memphis for a couple months back in my travelling days. I miss Corky's and the Butcher Shop (not sure if that was the name, but its the steak place where you choose your meat and you can cook it yourself).

[Glenna]

Corky's is BBQ, right? If it is I think I've been there but not sure about the Butcher Shop... Did you ever do The Blue & White Cafe down south of Tunica where everyone including Elvis use to drive down from Memphis? Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I don't know if it's changed hands or my expectations were too high.

[sher]

I'm trying to eat "healthy" and you two are making me crave BBQ.

Sher

[Glenna]

Pork butt, sugar, jalapenos, and beer...aren't those the four food groups recommended by the FDA?