• 2 large or four small turnips
  • 1/3 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar or raw honey
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Several sprigs of thyme

I love roasting root vegetables. This week food bloggers across the country and the Food Network are celebrating the turnip during the season-long link party known as Fall Fest.

This morning my son Alexander and I were on a quest for the most perfect turnips and turnip greens. Naturally we headed straight for our local state farmer’s market here in Raleigh, NC. We saw lots of turnips but these beauties caught our eye.

 

If you’ve never enjoyed or cooked a turnip before, fear not, my friend! It’s as easy as cooking potatoes! They are actually easier to peel, too. If you have the good fortune to find turnips with the greens intact BUY THEM! The greens (assuming they look very fresh, bright green and not discolored) are delicious sauteed or stir fried with a little garlic, bacon, red crushed pepper even soy sauce and rice wine vinegar!

We decided to roast our turnips today using a little balsamic vinegar, agave nectar, salt, olive oil and fresh sprigs of thyme.

Here are some things you need to know before eating a turnip:

  1. Turnips can be very bitter in taste.
  2. Choose smaller turnips if you are going to eat them raw (like in a slaw or a salad).
  3. If boiling your turnips, simply add a half of a large potato. The potato will remove the bitterness from the turnips. (Be sure to discard the potato).
  4. If you are roasting your turnips like we did for the recipe that follows, be sure to heavily salt the turnips after they are cut, rinse very well and let the turnips sit in a colander to drain. This will remove the bitterness. Pat dry the turnips before roasting.

Here’s how we made our roasted turnips — this couldn’t be easier. I’m almost blushin’!

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut off the greens from your turnips. (Reserve them for another recipe.)

Cut off both ends of your turnips. Peel the skin and cube into 1-inch pieces. Place your turnips in a large baking pan (I prefer using either a glass baking pan or a dark pan). Your root vegetables will get nice and dark and crispy.

In a small bowl whisk together balsamic vinegar, agave or honey, salt, cayenne and olive oil. Pour this flavorful mixture over your turnips and place several sprigs of thyme around and in between your vegetable.

Be prepared for the lovely aroma from the balsamic vinegar and fresh thyme.

Half way through the roasting process (about 25 minutes) stir. (Carefully open your oven because, although the smell of balsamic vinegar is delightful, it is also very powerful! Make sure all sides of your turnips are coated on the other side.

Continue roasting until your turnips are cooked inside and crispy outside. You can test the turnips for doneness with the point of a knife. Carefully remove the sprigs of thyme.

Transfer your roasted turnips to a pretty platter, adorn with additional fresh thyme leaves and enjoy!

 

Here are some of additional turnip recipes from bloggers across the country and the Food Network!

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Chinese Turnip Cake
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Mashed Turnips With Caramelized Onions and Balsamic
Cooking With Elise: Balsamic Roasted Turnips and Thyme
Virtually Homemade: Roasted Vegetable Soup With Chimichurri
Feed Me Phoebe: Turnip Hash With Basil Vinaigrette
Thursday Night Dinner: Honey Glazed Roasted Root Vegetables
Made By Michelle: Roasted Turnips and Carrots
HGTV Gardens: Garden-to-Table: Turnips
FN Dish: Fall Into Turnips