Honey Roasted Rutabaga
1 large rutabaga, peeled
3 T. butter
3 T. honeyPreheat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the rutabaga horizontally into 3/4 inch rounds. Slice each round into 3/4 inch pieces. Cut pieces in half horizontally if large.
Combine butter and honey in a medium-large bowl. Heat for 30 seconds or so until butter is melted. Stir to combine. Add rutabaga slices and toss to coat evenly.
Spread rutabaga pieces onto a lightly oiled or parchment lined baking sheet. Roast 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until slices have golden brown spots and are crispy around the edges. Enjoy!Note: don’t drizzle the excess marinade over the slices, as it is likely to run off onto the pan and burn
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In all honesty, I’d never given rutabagas much thought until quite recently. Besides beets, root vegetables aren’t really my every day go-to’s, but I’ve started experimenting with turnips, parsnips, and rutabaga, with great results so far.
Rutabagas in particular never graced my shopping list because frankly, until a week ago I’m not sure if I could have identified one in a lineup of root vegetables alongside parsnips, celery root, turnips, etc. But as it goes, some of my coworkers have taken to calling another coworker ‘Rutabaga’ and I suppose I’ve had it on the brain. So, when I saw a big pile of rutabagas at the farmer’s market last weekend, I picked one up and decided now was as good a time as any to try something new.
Once home, I was confronted with the reality that I had no idea what to do with this massive root. I scoured the internet and ended up at one of my go-to sites, Mariquita Farms vegetable recipe index. I found recipes for purees, gratins, and much more, but settled on Julia’s own ‘Honeyed Rutabagas’ due to its simplicity and elegance.
The whole thing came together in less than five minutes, and turned out splendidly. With the first bite I knew I’d be making rutabaga more often. With this recipe in particular, I experienced both taste and texture juxtapositions; taste-wise, it is at the same time earthy and sweet, both from the honey glaze and the root itself; texture-wise, it is crispy on the outside, yet velvety smooth on the inside. Delicious!
I served the roasted rutabaga with a bowl of simple nettle soup, some fresh bread, and a glass of white wine for a light season-straddling (late-winter / early spring) dinner. It would also make a great accompaniment to roasted chicken or pork, though I tend to prefer a melange of little vegetable dishes to the traditional meat main course with a vegetable side. But, to each their own.
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Comments
This entry was posted on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 10:35 am and is filed under Rutabaga, Veritable Vegetables. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Hi Jen–
Wow. Does this ever sound good! I love both the simplicity and the innovativeness of the recipe. I think root vegetables really lend themselves to candying…(carrots, sweet potatoes, come to mind), but have never thought of coating rutabegas with such sweet goodness. And the crispness would make them extra delicious. Will definitely try this one!
Do you grow them? I wish I could. My season just isn’t long enough.
Deborah
Deborah - I’ve yet to grow any root vegetables in my tiny garden. So far I’ve grown lettuce, peas, broccoli, and cooking greens. This summer I’m growing nightshades, cucumbers, and melons. Perhaps come fall I’ll venture into roots and tubers :)
On a different note, this evening I was considering other ways to prepare rutabaga, and got to thinking that something like a sweet potato & rutabaga pie might be tasty… a little sweet, a little savory — could be a nice combination.
Yummmy! Sweet Potato and Rutabega Pie: that particular savory/sweet combo sounds heavenly. I hope you’ll post or let me know the results.
On growing root vegetables. For some reason, with the single exception of baby turnips(yum!!), I just don’t have success. I’m not sure if it’s due to soil preparation, sun-exposure, watering, or other technical difficulties. I try every year, but end up buying the lion’s share of carrots and beets at the farmers’ market. Which is certainly okay too.
What cooking greens do you grow?
Over the winter I grew lacinto kale, collard greens, and spinach. The kale did wonderfully, though the collard leaves hovered around 3 inches, then bolted in the last week of february… I think it was probably not a great idea to grow them through the *dead* of winter, even if it is California. The two types of butter lettuce I grew over the winter did very well though. Live and learn.
This looks fantastic. I put some rutabaga in an Irish Beef Stew that I made the other day. It is amazing how much more flavorful root vegetables are than potatoes in stew!!!! These honey roasted rutabaga look delightful!
Anticiplate — Thanks! I might consider adding a little ground cardamom to the honey/butter mixture next time…