What to do with underrated root vegetables

Americans are not exactly experts when it comes to our Underrated Root Vegetables: turnips, rutabagas and parsnips.

“Turnips should never be pulled, it injures them,” Mark Twain once wrote. “It is much better to send a boy up and let him shake the tree.”

Actually, even Twain knew the turnip is a root vegetable. Yet beyond that, most of us have only a vague idea of what to do with these venerable veggies. We’ve heard of them, probably, and most of us have probably eaten a few, too, but not always with our informed consent.

So I recently decided to eat a forkful of roasted root vegetables, on purpose. I discovered what millions of Europeans have known for centuries. They are delicious. Sweet, a little bit nutty, with a nice texture. They absorb flavors like butter well. Most of us have spent our whole lives eating potatoes and carrots, but here, right under our noses, is an entire new world of outstanding root vegetables.

Or should I say, an entire old world, since these are Old World vegetables that never totally caught on in the New World.

Here’s a brief primer:

Turnips – They look like white baseballs with purple-tinged tops. They have the interior texture of radishes, but with a sweeter taste. They have always been a favorite vegetable in Great Britain and northern Europe. They are good boiled, steamed, mashed or pureed, and can even be diced and used raw in salads, according to the “Food Lovers Encyclopedia” by Sharon Tyler Herbst. Wash them, trim them and peel them before using. They are cruciferous vegetables, and are good for the heart and have cancer-fighting properties. They are also low in calories. Don’t ignore the greens, which are also delicious.

Rutabagas – They’re a lot like turnips; in fact they are sometimes called “yellow turnips” because of their color. The name comes from the Swedish rotabagge, and they have long been popular throughout northern Europe. Their other nicknames are Swedish turnip, or just plain Swedes, or “neeps” in Scotland. Since the rutabaga is a relative of the turnip, it can be used interchangeably with turnips; its flavor is slightly stronger and provides a touch of nice yellow color to a dish.

Parsnips – They’re long, khaki-colored and carrot-shaped, since they’re relatives of the carrot. Yet they have a sweet, nutty flavor that will make you wonder why the carrot, instead of the parsnip, emerged as America’s top pointy root. Herbst said the parsnip came over to America with the first colonists, but never caught on. Like carrots, you can cook them using almost any method: roasting, boiling, braising, sautéing and steaming. With large, relatively elderly parsnips, you may need to remove a woody core before cooking. They’re loaded with potassium and fiber.

All of the above are good keepers and all of them are at their peak in the winter months. They taste particularly good in hearty wintertime stews and braises, so this is a particularly good time of year to expand your root vegetable repertoire

If you’re trying to figure out exactly how to use them, start by cubing any or all of them and putting them in your favorite stew recipe. They make a nice, sweetish contrast to the usual potatoes and carrots.

Pan-roasting is another simple and excellent introduction. You can use just about any roasted vegetable recipe, including one titled Roasted Winter Vegetables which we ran in our Food section on Jan. 8. But you don’t really need a recipe. Just do this: Cut the veggies into chunks, toss with a spoonful or two of olive oil and thyme and roast in a pan at 425 degrees for 45 minutes. Toss a few tablespoons of vinegar on at the end, if you wish. Roasting brings out the flavor of these vegetables better than just about any other method.

But not better than braising. We tried the Chicken Breasts Braised with Hard Cider and Parsnips recipe, given below, and it was a revelation. The parsnips take on subtle flavors of the bacon, the shallot and the cider, and will make you understand why the English, the Scots and the Scandinavians are so crazy about the parsnip. (The chicken wasn’t too bad, either.)

We are only scratching the surface here when it comes to underrated root vegetables. People in the know rave about the celeriac root, the Jerusalem artichoke, the fennel bulb and the kohlrabi. Once we get the turnip, the parsnip and the rutabaga under our belts, maybe we can tackle the rest.

Chicken Breasts Braised with Hard Cider and Parsnips

Adapted from “All About Braising” by Molly Stevens

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into strips

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large shallot, minced

2 1/2 cups hard apple cider (still or bubbly)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 pound parsnips, peeled, woody core removed, chopped into 1/2 inch sticks

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a braising pan or Dutch oven over medium heat on the stove, combine the oil and bacon pieces and fry until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the oil and bacon fat. Raise the burner to medium high.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and brown them skin side down until nicely bronzed. Turn them over and brown the other side. Remove from pan with tongs.

Add shallots to the pan and brown them quickly. Pour in 2 cups of hard cider (the commercial bottled varieties work well – you’ll find them next to the beer in the beverage case.) Deglaze the pan, scraping with a wooden spoon. Boil for about 10 minutes to reduce the cider, and add the rosemary and the remaining 1/2 cup of cider and boil down again to about a cup. Lay the parsnips in the braising liquid, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the bacon bits over. Arrange the chicken pieces on top, skin side down, cover tightly and put in the oven.

Braise in the oven for 25 minutes, then turn the chicken over and braise another 20 to 25 minutes for total of 45 to 50 minutes. Put the chicken on a platter and arrange the parsnips around. Skim most of the grease from the liquid and then pour the remaining liquid over the chicken and parsnips.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 361 calories, 13 grams fat, (4 grams saturated, 34 percent fat calories), 35 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, 84 milligrams cholesterol, 5 grams dietary fiber, 425 milligrams sodium.

Braised Leeks with Turnips and Carrots

Adapted from “The Onion Book” by Jan Roberts-Dominguez

4 small turnips (or substitute rutabagas)

2 medium carrots

2 to 3 large leeks (white and pale green portions only)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Peel the turnips and carrots. Slice the turnips into 1/4-thick rounds, then slice the rounds into strips of uniform thickness. Slice the carrots 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal, then slice them again into narrow strips of uniform thickness. Slice the root end from each leek, then cut the leeks in to 1/2-inch rounds.

Place the vegetables in large skillet with broth. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, lower the heat and boil until broth has reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the butter and sauté until vegetables are tender and delicately browned, about 10 minutes. Toward the end of cooking, add parsley and basil and season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 131 calories, 3 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 26 percent fat calories), 3 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrate, 8 milligrams cholesterol, 6 grams dietary fiber, 574 milligrams sodium.

Mashed Potatoes with Rutabagas and Buttermilk

Adapted from “The Bon Appetit Cookbook” by Barbara Fairchild

1 1/2 pounds rutabagas, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

6 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup (or more) buttermilk

Chopped chives

Cook rutabagas in large pot of boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a strainer. Add potatoes to same water and boil until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain. Return rutabagas and potatoes to the same pot. Add butter and mash well. Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Yield: 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 243 calories, 9 grams fat (5 grams saturated, 33 percent fat calories), 4.6 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrate, 24 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 318 milligrams sodium.