I’ve posted a couple of turnip recipes so far and told you how I grew to love turnips. Still not convinced to give them a try? Have I got a recipe for you! THIS is the dish for anyone who thinks they don’t like turnips.  And if you already a fan, you’re going to love this! I’ve adapted the recipe from Simply Recipes, although I haven’t changed much. Other than adding the horseradish, I decreased the butter and salt a bit in an effort to improve the nutritional profile. Also, the original recipe called it six servings. Since the two of us polished off the whole dish, I think calling it four is more realistic. Still, this isn’t the healthiest dish on the table. I’m going to consider it one of those comfort foods that I make just once or twice a year. It’s too yummy to never make again just because it’s more saturated fat than I usually eat!

If anybody tries to tell you that scalloped turnips taste just like scalloped potatoes, don’t believe them. This isn’t intended to masquerade as potatoes. Instead, it takes a tried and true dish and changes it up. The flavor is quite mild, but it’s much more interesting. If you choose and prepare the turnips properly, there will be no bitterness whatsoever. Just a creamy, vaguely tangy flavor party. Nor is there enough horseradish to make the dish even remotely spicy. My Chief Taste Tester knew it was there, but couldn’t quite pin it down at first. 

How do you correctly choose and prepare the turnips? The first consideration is to select the smallest, firmest ones you can find. It’s the huge, older ones that earned the reputation for bitterness. You just don’t get that from the babies. The second trick is to peel them correctly. If they’re very young, the size of golf balls, you don’t need to peel them at all. Anything bigger will have three levels of peel. There’s the outer peel, the very thin layer you can see on the outside. When you pare that off, you see white flesh and might think you’re done. Nope. You’re just looking at the second layer of peel. Beneath it will be the third layer, thin and dark. It resembles a tree ring when the turnip is cut crosswise. Peel all three of these layers off, and you won’t have any bitterness. Check out last week’s post on Roasted Turnips With Dill and Caraway for photos of the layers. 

Ingredients:

4 small turnips, about 1 lb. or 500 g total

1 small onion, about 3 to 4 ounces (85 to 100 g)

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon horseradish powder

¾ cup (180 ml) milk

⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy (double) cream

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation: 

1.) Preheat the oven to 350º F (177º C). Thinly slice the turnips, a bit less than ⅛” (2 to 3 mm); set aside. This was setting 2 on my Breville food processor’s adjustable slicing blade. 

2.) Thinly slice the onion. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook just until they begin to soften and turn translucent. Remove from heat. 

3.) Lightly grease a one-quart (one-liter) baking dish with a bit of the butter. Layer one-third of the turnip slices in the bottom of the dish, followed by one-third of the cooked onions. Sprinkle on the flour and salt, and dust with pepper. Add a few small dollops of butter (about a third of what you have left after buttering the dish.) Repeat twice with the remaining vegetables, flour, salt and pepper, and butter. 

4.) Mix the milk, cream, and horseradish powder. Pour the mixture over everything. 

5.) Cover the dish and pop it in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, remove the cover, and bake another 30 minutes. It’s done when it’s bubbly and browned, and the turnips are fork tender. Add a bit of time if they’re still crunchy. When done, remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving.