I imagine that you probably think that farmshare folks sit around in homespun hemp gnawing on raw vegetables with ascetic delight. And that may be true for some folks, but I prefer a bit of indulgence to balance out the veggie virtue.
The late comedian, Mitch Hedburg, once declared that he believed that eating a good food with a bad food cancelled out the negative affects of the bad food. Eating a carrot, along with some fries, gave the fries a ‘free pass’ into his gullet, and I must admit, I adhere strongly to the same principles.
Butter and cream seem a lot less dastardly when used to cook carrots, but somehow take on a forbidding countenance when used to make a crème anglaise or some burnt butter cupcakes. Irrational, but true.
Which is why, when confronted with a bucket of harukei turnips, the only reasonable solution was to drown them in a bath of hot heavy cream and milk. A heaping tablespoon of horseradish and some rosemary cut the heaviness of the turnips and cream, and turned them into a creamy bit of lush virtuous veggie deliciousness.
Serve these with a flavorful hunk of meat and a big green salad – you’ll want some fresh, raw greens to balance out the creaminess of the harukei turnip gratin. And, as always, enjoy!
Click here for a printable version of the recipe
Harukei Turnip Gratin, Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Simmering Time: 25 Minutes
Total Time: 35 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Whole Milk
1 Cup Harukei Turnips, sliced into discs
2 Tbls. Fresh Horseradish
1 Tsp. Dried or Fresh Rosemary
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preparation:
Heat the cream and milk in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
Gorgeous, earthy turnips
Add the sliced harukei turnips and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the horseradish and the rosemary, cover the sauce pan, and let cook for 20-25 minutes, until the turnips are tender, stirring occasionally.
Uncover the turnips once, divide between four plates, remind yourself that anything tastes good drowned in cream, serve, and enjoy!
I have never heard of a harukei turnip! How do they differ from the turnips I am familiar with that the sell at good ol’ Stop & Shop?
They’re much smaller, creamier and softer (in my opinion), and have an intriguing name
All joking aside, I haven’t tasted them plain, without loads of cream, milk, herbs, and spices, so I can’t tell you how they differ head to head, but they more closely resemble a potato to me than a turnip, if that helps.
This picture is gorgeous and the dish sounds fantastic …sort of like the garden version of mac & cheese. I’ll take it!! (Or I’ll go to Eastern Standard, have 4 bloody marys, and order their mac and cheese and hate myself in the morning.)