The underappreciated and misunderstood Rutabaga
Love rutabagas … although it is hard to find the canned variety in FL. Undaunted, I found some fresh ones at Publix (our local grocer). I bought three of the waxy looking bulbs and proudly brought them home. Eileen was pleased to see them, but the kids gave me a blank stare and asked in unison, “What’s a rutabaga?” I explained that it was sort of a cross between a potato and a carrot — maybe a little like a sweet potato … but not so sweet. This only confused them more.
The end result after adding salt, pepper, butter, & lots of elbow grease
For dinner tonight (along with our guacamole turkey burgers) I whipped up a mess of mashed rutabaga. Pretty simple, really. I diced 3 rutabagas and boiled them until tender. I then drained out the hot water and mashed them into a goopy mush. I added a generous amount of salt and pepper, a good bit of butter, and a dash or two of nutmeg. The result was a rousing success — even the kids cleaned their plates. I have some left, so I will freeze it until the hankering hits again. Mighty fine eatin’ … and now the whole joint smells like Grandma’s house. Good memories!
Learn more about rutabagas at http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch4.html