(updated May 3, 2023) // by Phoebe Lapine // 12 comments
5 from 1 vote
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Turnips are not my favorite vegetable. They’re a little bit too watery and bitter for my palette. But every year when Food Network Fall Fest turnip week rolls around, I try to find ways to love them. Last year, it was via a rustic hash and this post about other bittersweet, non-turnipy things…like break-ups.
Since I’m supposed to be talking about turnips here, and my last turnip recipe was almost exactly a year ago to the day, I went back and read my post. And it got me thinking not at all about turnips. So I’m going to roll with that…
I’ve always hated going back and rereading my diary entries. I remember doing it a few times in high school and getting serious tard-tingles. This is a made-up word that my old co-worker invented for the type of secondhand embarrassment you feel when watching things like bad stand-up comedy, male acapella groups, or Chris Jenner’s talk show. But it works perfectly for what I feel when reading old writing of mine.
Everything just sounds so melodramatic and overwrought. Granted, if this is my high school diary we’re talking about, it probably was. But I got a similar feeling when re-reading last year’s turnip post.
Part of this feeling is a good thing. I’m in such a different, more positive little-black-dress-wearing place now that I can’t remember a time when I was so freakin mopey. This fall I’ve been running around like a mad woman, embracing my single city life and having a ball. Some weeks I would kill to have a quiet night in with a salmon steak and some turnip hash. But I have the rest of my life to watch bad TV and eat my omega-3’s. Right now, there are glow sticks that need wearing and hangover Chinese food that’s not going to order itself.
But really the take away in reading last year’s post is that I was depressed. I assume most of you have had a period like this in your life and know how hard it is to recognize when you’re sitting in the middle of the cloud. I’m so glad to no longer be feeling like a million saddie face emoticons, and more like a little emoji monkey.
So in the spirit of being back to my sassy self, I’ve jazzed up my turnip offerings from the depressing days of yore with a little miso butter in this mashed turnips recipe. I’ve never been one to shy away from a little fat to make my vegetables worth eating. The sweet, salty miso helps to tame that bitterness that I keep mentioning, and the butter makes watery mashed turnips a silky, elegant dish. There, I did it. I talked about turnips.
Do you have any foods that you’ve turned to during a dark patch? Let me know about them in the comments. Perhaps we can reinvent them in your life as something new and sassy and not so bittersweet.
Place the turnips in a saucepan with water to cover and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until easily pierced by a paring knife, about 35 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, miso, and half the scallions. Microwave until melted, about 10 seconds. Whisk until smooth.
Peel and cut turnip like you would for mashed potatoes. Put in pot of water until covered and your sugar. Turnips can be very bitter so the sugar takes the bitter out.
One turnip website from the United Kingdom notes that if you boil them, add a little sugar to tame the scent and add baking soda to reduce bitterness. Look for fresh turnips. Avoid the very large, wrinkled and blemished turnips.
Mashed turnips make the perfect mashed potato alternative. Lower in carbs, lower in calories, and higher in nutrients, they're a win-win for both you and the turnip!
This roasted turnip recipe is the perfect side dish for cooler weather. A hardy root vegetable roasted to perfection, served with fresh herbs, bacon and tangy goat cheese.
Mashed carrots and turnips are always watery because the vegetables have a lot of water in them. This is fine, you can simply stir the liquid in again when it separates out. If you prefer them to be a bit thicker, you can put them in a fine mesh strainer to drain for a bit after cooking and mashing them.
Salt is one of my favorite ways to cut the bitterness in turnip greens. I then add about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the broth and simmer for the last 20 minutes. Works like a charm!
How do you get the bitterness out of turnips? Smaller turnips tend to be sweeter and less bitter, so start by selecting fresh, small, tender turnips and peeling them. Adding a little sugar to your turnips after cooking can also help to counteract any bitterness.
This is a bad practice, however, and you should avoid adding baking soda when boiling any type of vegetable. It has various unwelcome effects, such as softening the vegetable, altering the vegetable's flavor, destroying thiamine content, and hastening the loss of vitamin C.
Place the turnips in a pot and cover with about 2 inches of salted water. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat and simmer until the turnips are tender when pierced with a toothpick or the tip of a paring knife, 20 to 30 minutes. Step three: Season and serve. Drain the turnips and season with salt and pepper.
Mashed turnips are a lovely and healthy alternative to mashed potatoes. They look very similar, they cook very similarly, yet they fall on the green tier in 90/10 Nutrition, where mashed potatoes would be on the yellow tier.
They play a significant role in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's DASH diet, which medical experts have designed to bring down blood pressure. Turnips also provide potassium, which may help lower blood pressure by releasing sodium from the body and helping arteries dilate.
When are turnips in season? Peak season for baby turnips is June to July. You can buy winter turnips all year round, although peak season is from October to February.
Boil or steam turnips and add them to mashed potatoes for extra vitamins and minerals. Grate them raw into salads or slaws. Roast them with other root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes, and bring out their natural sweetness.
When you take the turnips out of the oven, toss them with a tablespoon or two of minced fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme, sage, and/or rosemary. Drizzle the roasted turnips with romesco sauce or homemade pesto when you serve them.
How Do You Get the Bitter Taste Out of Rutabagas? If you find that rutabagas are too bitter for you, add up to a tablespoon of sugar to accentuate the sweetness and stir to combine. This will help to counteract the bitterness.
Stress may cause them to go bitter (lack of water, to much heat etc) Frost will not remove bitterness as all frost can do is sweeten them some by changing some carbohydrate to sugar and carbohydrates are not the cause of the bitterness.
It's not essential to peel turnips before cooking. If this skin appears to be thin enough you can leave it on and cook as is. However if the skin feels thick and leathery, you can peel it off with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. Both the roots and leaves, also known as turnip greens, are safe to eat.
Turnips have a slightly bitter taste to them, so cooking the onions in this recipe will be the key to getting more of a sweet taste out of the dish! The bigger a turnip is, the more bitter it tastes so aim to choose ones from the market that are about the size of a tennis ball.
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If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!
Steph says 
