Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Roasted Turnips

As I mentioned the other day, we went to St. Louis this weekend. On Saturday we stopped by to see two of our friends, a couple I originally met through my parents. We used to golf together when I lived in Waterloo.

We talked for a good while and caught up with them. The male portion of the couple has been a loyal reader  of Planned Ob for a good while and made a comment about my Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent posts. He good-naturedly observed that he wonders about some of the recipes because some of them can be a bit outlandish, and a number, to him at least, didn't sound all that good.

So this one's for you, Ed. Here's a recipe I probably won't repeat again. Thankfully, I roasted some store-bought carrots with the last of the red potatoes from my garden in a separate sheet pan. And they were excellent.

From what I can recall, I've never had turnips before. I've had lots of turnip greens. I love that stuff. I heart greens.

But as for turnips, never had 'em. I read an article in one of my magazines about roasting vegetables, so I got the idea to try turnips. Hell, they're cheap -- 79 cents a pound at my local supermarket. Sunday I went to the store and picked up four turnips. Tonight I roasted 'em.

If you've never had turnips, here's how I would describe them. They're like a cross between a potato and eggplant once you roast them. They're not spongy like an eggplant, but they're not as firm as potato. And their taste is like a cross between those two, with a little cabbage taste thrown in.

I wouldn't mind trying turnips again, but I'd probably mix them in (sparingly) with potatoes and carrots for a medley of underground veggies.

So here's the recipe for what's its worth.

Ingredients:
4 turnips, rough diced, or as they really are, rectangled
half of a red onion, chopped roughly
2 shallots, cut into big chunks
Olive oil to lightly coat the veggies
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons margarine
Healthy smidge of thyme

Process:
Cut up the turnips and dump them into a big bowl. Throw in the onion and shallots and coat everything with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Roast them on a sheet pan in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Take a spatula and flip them around. Roast for approximately 20 more minutes. Toss with butter and thyme.