Root Vegetable Gratin

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for baking dish

1½ cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs

1½ cups grated Parmesan, divided

2 Tbsp. Thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 celery root, peeled, sliced thin

1 rutabaga, peeled, sliced thin

1 turnip, peeled, sliced thin

1-pound Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Make sure the root vegetables are cut the same thickness to ensure even cooking

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Butter a shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs; cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and toss with ½ cup parmesan and 1 Tbsp thyme leaves; season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring cream, broth, 1 Tbsp thyme, and remaining 2 Tbsp butter to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit 10 minutes. Cover; keep warm.

Toss vegetables in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Arrange ⅓ of vegetables in dish and top with ½ cup parmesan. Repeat layers; top with remaining vegetables. Pour cream mixture over; place a piece of parchment paper directly on top of gratin.

Bake until vegetables are crisp-tender and cream is thickened, check at 45 minutes to see if fork tender. If ready then uncover, top with breadcrumb mixture, and bake until gratin is bubbling and breadcrumbs are brown, 15–20 minutes longer. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Roasted Rutabaga and Carrot Soup

1 rutabaga peeled then medium diced

2 carrots peeled then cut similar size to rutabaga

1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced

2-3 scallions diced

3 garlic cloves minced

2 Tbsp thyme 

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup cream or half and half (optional)

1 qt vegetable stock

1 Tbsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 375˚F.

Toss rutabaga and carrot dice in olive oil with salt/pepper and thyme. Place in a cast iron skillet or oven safe dish and bake for 15 minute or until browned on the edges and fork tender. Check and turn the veggies about halfway through the oven time. 

In a medium sized stock pot heat butter over medium then add the scallions and garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes. You are looking for aromatic, but not browning. 

Add diced potatoes to the pot and pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until the potatoes start to break down in the liquid. If you have an immersion blender stick that in and give the potatoes a couple of pulses from the blender. The potatoes will act as a thickener for the soup base. 

Once the oven veggies are done, add them to the pot and continue to simmer until they start to break down a little bit. Maybe 5 minutes or so. Once all the vegetables are thoroughly cooked through. Add the cream (optional) and reduce heat to low. Cook for 3-5 more minutes then season with smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Root Vegetable Stew

2-3 pounds of root vegetables such as rutabaga, turnip, potatoes, carrots, daikon radish, and celery root, peeled and cut into chunks

1 head of garlic, the cloves separated and peeled

6 Tbsp olive oil, divided 3 Tbsp and 3 Tbsp

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste

1 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes

2 cups (packed) of chopped napa cabbage

2 Tbsp parsley chopped

Black pepper to taste

Tabasco sauce (optional, to taste)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Into a large roasting pan, mix together the vegetables, garlic, 3 Tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.  Roast for 45 minutes, turning the vegetables over in the pan halfway through cooking.

Meanwhile, in a 4 to 5 quart Dutch oven, heat 3 Tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté until the edges of the onions just begin to brown. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook a minute longer. Using your hands, tear the canned tomatoes into large pieces as you add them to the pot. Add the remaining liquid from the can into the pot. Stir well. Add the parsley. Bring to a simmer, and then lower the heat to the lowest possible setting. Cover the pot and let cook gently while the root vegetables are roasting.

When the root vegetables are ready (they should be browned on the edges and easily pierced with a fork), remove from the oven. Add chopped leafy greens to the pot of tomatoes. Simmer until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the root vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Season with Tabasco to taste if using.

Daikon and Rutabaga Slaw

1 Rutabaga Peeled & Shredded 

1 Cup Shredded Daikon

1/3 Cup Dry Roasted Peanuts, roughly chopped

2 Tablespoons Smooth Peanut Butter

1 Tablespoon Hot Water

1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (or more to taste, also optional)

Combine the rutabaga, daikon, and peanuts in a bowl.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, hot water, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. 

Pour the dressing over the veggies and mix until everything is well combined.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, longer is just fine.   

Butternut and Rutabaga Gratin

1 small butternut squash peeled and seeded

1 medium rutabaga peeled

1 onion sliced thin

Kale or collards if you have them available (optional)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup Gruyere cheese grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly spray a large shallow baking dish.

Heat a small pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add sliced onions and cook until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, salt, pepper and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until broth has reduced to 3/4 cup or about half.

Slice the squash and rutabaga into very thin rounds. If using Greens, slice very thin and add to the mixture as you are layering in the next step.

Place 1/3 of onion and broth into the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange butternut squash and rutabaga in an overlapping layer. Scoop 1/3 of the onions and broth over the vegetables and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top squash with another layer of squash and rutabaga, followed by the remaining onions and cheese.

Spray a piece of aluminum foil with vegetable spray, cover the gratin (sprayed side down) tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (this will prevent the cheese from sticking to the foil). Remove the foil. Continue to bake for 15 more minutes, until top of the gratin is crisp and brown. Let the gratin rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.