It seems a fitting thing to post something new now that I’m
done with the semester. Around here, we
have been on a turnip kick lately. We’ve
sautéed them in with our taco meat, cooked them with our roast, and slipped
them into other dishes here and there.
We’ve missed the blank pallet that is the potato, but will not welcome
them back through the door.
I had tried mashed turnips a while back, but frankly, I don’t
like turnips. They were simply slimy and
bitter. However, when boiled with some
chicken bouillon or broth, that all changes.
It seems to tone down the bitter spike and make them meld well with
other flavors.
Since finding that out, I’ve been on a search for that
potato substitute for the Christmas dinner table. After reading recipe after recipe, I think I’ve
come up with our new go-to dish to fill that need.
Turpatoes Au
Rockin’
A turnip-based
alternative to Potatoes Au Gratin
Serves 4, @ 7.36 net carbs per serving
4 softball-sized turnips
¼ cup warm water
1 tsp chicken bullion
Spices to taste—pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.
¼ cup half and half
½ teaspoon xantham gum
Shredded Cheese (@ 2 cups)
Real Bacon Bits
Set oven to 350⁰.
Peel and thinly slice turnips. Place in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and let cool until
able to handle.*
Mix warm water with bullion and spices in a squirt bottle or
small bowl. Add in half and half, and
sprinkle in xantham gum. Shake well to
mix.
Grease a small casserole dish. (Judge this by the amount of turnips you have
ready.) Cover the bottom with one layer
of turnips. Squirt or sprinkle the
liquid mix over the turnips. Sprinkle
lightly with cheese. Continue layering,
ending with cheese and a sprinkling of bacon bits.
Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake until top
is pleasingly melty. You can pull them
out when the cheese is just melted, or you can leave them in until you get that
nice crusty cheese top—it’s up to you.
*You can skip this step, but will need to bake the turpatoes
longer. Check their doneness by
inserting a butter knife into the dish.
If there’s little or no resistance, the turpatoes are done.
There is, of course, a lot of room for variation here. Try layering in some minced onions or sautéed
mushrooms. Wanna add a layer of spinach
or kale? Cook/defrost, drain and squeeze
the spinach well, then layer on top of the turnips, topping with the liquid mix
and cheese.
Try some ranch dressing in place of some of the half and
half.
In general, Potatoes Au Gratin have about 30 grams of carbs
per serving, so while this is a bit high for a highly restricted carb diet, it
beats the original hands-down.
