Rutabaga Potato Bake ~ Served with Short Ribs & Braised Kale
Some folks love the flavor of the earthy, bittersweet rutabaga. If you are looking to mellow it a bit try this delicious baked mash and raise your mashed potato side game. Alternatively, if you would like to celebrate the earthy bitterness and take it a step further, the potatoes could be substituted with turnips - or the Rutabaga could simply go it alone!
Ingredients:
1.5 LBS Rutabaga, peeled and cut into small cubes
1.5 LBS Golden Potatoes, peeled and cut in half
3 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
½ Cup Whole Fat Milk or Dairy Alternative
¾ Cup Grated Parmesan
2 TBSP Butter or Olive Oil
¼ tsp Nutmeg
¼ - ½ tsp Cracked Black Pepper
¾ tsp Sea Salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a buttered 2 quart casserole dish and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the Rutabaga and Potatoes. Cook for 15-20 minutes until both root veggies are tender.
Combine ½ Cup of the Grated Parm, Nutmeg, Pepper and Salt in a small bowl, reserving ¼ Cup Parm for topping.
Drain the cooked root veggies and put them back in the pot.
(We reserved some of the liquid to add back into the dish as needed during mashing to make this dish super creamy without adding more milk)
Add the Garlic, Milk, and Butter (or Olive Oil) and mash together. You can use a potato masher for a rustic texture or an electric beater if you prefer your potatoes creamy and smooth.
Mash in the Nutmeg, Salt and Pepper and taste. This is a great time to see if you need to increase any of the Spices, Parm, etc to your taste preference!
Scoop the Mash into your prepared casserole dish, top with the remaining ¼ Cup Parmesan and put in the oven.
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown
*It can be a little tough to get exactly 1.5 pounds of Rutabaga as the roots can vary quite a bit in size. This dish can quite easily be adjusted up or down, just keep the roots on a 1:1 ratio. As you have an opportunity to taste this dish before the final baking it is quite easy to increase any of the other ingredients so just start with less and work your way up as needed.
** We got our Short Ribs recipe from Ana Sortun, substituting her glazed carrot and couscous sides with our Rutabaga Potato Bake and Braised Kale. The ribs come out like candy - highly recommend! The Dinosaur Kale was cooked in just a bit of water and olive oil over low heat until just wilted .