Roasted Parmesan turnips flavoured with thyme and rosemary are a delicious and less common winter or festive side dish. Handle them just like potatoes: first boil, then roast.
Turnip vs. swede
They are not the same vegetable! I know what you thought, and I thought the same for years: that those pinky white ones were just a baby version of the burly grey ones.
It is not the case, so let’s do some justice unto turnips, the white and purplish one and swedes, big brown, and yellow inside. They are in the same plant family, and swedes are Swedish turnips, whatever that means – but a different vegetable altogether.
And to make things even more confusing, swedes are known as rutabaga in the USA, and neeps in Scotland.
Boring as turnip
Both swedes and turnips are, admittedly, quite a far cry from trendy vegetables, with the possible exception of swede around Halloween time.
But if we eat the seasons like we should, the seasonal stuff in the bleak November – or indeed coming up to Christmas – will be some truly lovely winter root vegetables including turnips. Not only are they cheap; also sticking to what’s in season, plentiful and air mile-free makes you appreciate those green shoots of asparagus, come May. Turnips are a perfect side for your Christmas lunch, believe me.
And they are quite delightful prepared as below, zinged with a dash of Parmesan and roasted with herbs.
Rosemary salt
The magic ingredient in this recipe is rosemary salt, and though you might initially think it’s not worth ruining your coffee grinder for it, trust me: it is. The grinder won’t be ruined anyway because it’s easy enough to clean it: wipe thoroughly with paper towels, then do a purge-grind.
For instance, before making the rosemary salt, process a small amount of coarse salt to get rid of the coffee residue. Then fill it with roughly chopped rosemary needles picked off the sprigs with a spoonful of coarse salt and pulse a couple of times. Decant it into an airtight little jar and transform the future potatoes, lamb and fish.
Once finished with rosemary, clean the grinder again by milling and discarding some coffee, to purge the receptacle and blades.
And if you don’t have one, they cost from £15 or thereabouts, which opens up a world of grinding to you: not just coffee or rosemary but spices, nuts and seeds too.
Do turnips need preboiling?
They do need preboiling, just like potatoes do for roasting. Peeled and quartered, plunged into a pan of salted boiling water, they won’t take longer than 12-15 minutes.
Jab one with a pointy knife and if it goes in fairly easily – they’re done.
How to roast turnips
Once drained, in the pan, the turnip chunks can be tossed with the magic rosemary salt, thyme and a half of the grated Parmesan. Add to that butter and olive oil making sure they are coated, then turn them out onto a baking tray and slip into the oven.
They will take about 40 minutes to go golden and crisp around the edges. They are already cooked of course so it’s the case of how crisp and how golden you want them.
Halfway through gently shake the tray and toss them about unless you’re a sad person like me who will turn over every wedge with tongs. Add more Parmesan while turning or tossing them, reserving some for serving.
More winter vegetable recipes
Beetroot gratin, thinly sliced beets baked in garlic and dill infused cream, a gorgeous side to a fish course. No need to pre-cook the beetroot.
Brussels sprouts cooked two ways: sprout tops with almonds and crispy roasted Brussels sprouts. This is the perfect recipe for when you purchase one of those mighty impressive Brussels sticks!
Five-spice butternut squash in cheesy custard, with orange rayu (Japanese chilli oil) is precisely the treatment the squash needs to be a great dish. No surprise, it’s a recipe from Ottolenghi.
More Parmesan-zinged recipes
Green beans with Parmesan cream, a creamy casserole of green beans in cheese sauce. The Parmesan cream is easier to make than thermidor or mornay sauce and can easily replace either in a variety of dishes.
Soufflé omelette with Parmesan is like a fluffy, savoury meringue that you can have for breakfast. Another way to have your eggs in the morning!
Lamb rack in Parmesan crust flavoured with rosemary and lemon zest, roasted to medium rare or medium, deliciously juicy and tender. Low temperature roasting works brilliantly in this recipe.