October 29, 2012 | Side Dishes, Vegetables
I’ve been staring down a drawer full of turnips for weeks now. I don’t love them on their own, but luckily for me, they do well paired with other flavors. This recipe also happens to be the sort of fall comfort food I need this month after losing my dad.
Grief does strange things to your appetite. I find that I’m fine for awhile, then I have no appetite at all and feel I might actually be sick. Some days I just want to drink coffee. Other days I’m all about comfort food. I’m trying to keep exercising and trying to eat something nutritious every day because I need to be strong to care for my mom.
I found this recipe while searching for something to do with turnips and buttermilk. Don’t you love the internet for that sort of thing? I landed on Angie’s blog, and this recipe, originally from Southern Living, seemed the right one for me to adapt. It’s comfort food for sure – potatoes, buttermilk, bacon – but at least it’s fruit and vegetables I’m eating instead of a bag of potato chips followed by M&Ms. (Yep, that’s what I had one night last week.)
One of the things that intrigued me when I found this recipe was the addition of apples to a traditional mashed turnip and potato recipe. The apples are sauteed in some olive oil and butter with thyme while the potatoes and turnips are simmering, then everything is mashed together.
I find turnips a bit stringy, and actually had trouble mashing everything together, so I used my stick blender with a few quick tiny pulses to get it broken down a bit. Don’t over do it with the stick blender or a mixer or you’ll end up with a gluey mess. Also, turnips are more watering than potatoes, so drain well before proceeding to mash everything together. We’re having this tonight with pork chops – now doesn’t that sound comforting?
- 1 pound turnips, peeled and cubed
- 1 pound potatoes, (any starchy variety, peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 gala apples, peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup lowfat buttermilk
- Fresh thyme leaves, to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Crumbled bacon or pancetta, to taste (optional)
- Cover the turnips and potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. While turnips and potatoes cook, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and saute apples until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute, just until garlic is fragrant but not burned.
- Drain the potatoes and turnips and combine with apple mixture and butter in a large bowl. Gently mashin and add the buttermilk, stirring until creamy. Season with fresh thyme and salt and pepper to taste and pour into a casserole dish to serve. Top with crumbled bacon or pancetta. For a vegetarian version, omit bacon and top with thyme leaves for garnish.
