Golden Turnip Au Gratin Recipe

Cooking vegetables au gratin is a popular way to give them a boost in flavor and texture. The term refers to cooking food with a browned and crispy crust, which is usually made from breadcrumbs or grated cheese. Potatoes au gratin may be the most well-known dish employing this technique. It features not only a browned crust on top but a thick, creamy cheese sauce in the interior of the dish between thin slices of potatoes. Many vegetables can be prepared au gratin, including broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, parsnips, leeks, fennel, corn, and squash. One vegetable that people may not immediately think of as an option for an au gratin dish is the humble turnip, but we assure you it's a delicious candidate.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a golden turnip au gratin recipe that brings sophistication to this simple root vegetable. Thinly sliced turnips cook gently in saffron-infused milk, which gives them a golden color as well as a unique taste. The creamy slices are covered with a flavorful crunchy topping and then baked. While the topping would traditionally contain breadcrumbs and grated cheese, in this version we halve the breadcrumbs and add in ground almonds for a flavor, texture, and nutritional boost. A drizzle of melted butter before baking is the final touch. The colorful, rich, creamy, and crispy result is a unique and impressive take on a traditional gratin.

Place the almonds in a food processor and process until roughly ground. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop them with a chef's knife.

Wash and peel the turnips and thinly slice them with a knife or mandoline slicer.

Heat the pan on medium until the mixture comes to a gentle boil.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 F.

Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with butter.

Gently arrange the turnip slices at the bottom of the baking pan in a layer 1 or 2 slices high.

Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the turnips.

Pour the melted butter evenly on top.

Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Gratin toppings are generally made with breadcrumbs and grated cheese. In this recipe, those two ingredients are combined with ground almonds, minced parsley, and salt. When sprinkled on the thinly sliced turnips and baked, this mixture turns into a golden brown topping that gives a delightful crunch and flavor to every bite. If you're following a gluten-free diet, you can still achieve this result. You can omit the breadcrumbs without sacrificing the crunch. One option is to replace the breadcrumbs with more ground almonds or other kinds of nuts or seeds. Other crunchy breadcrumb substitutes include crushed gluten-free crackers, cornflakes or gluten-free cereals, rice cakes, and potato chips.

Besides the grated Parmesan, you'll need to replace the whole milk used to cook the turnips and the melted butter that's drizzled on top. Consider adding roasted cashews to the breadcrumb mixture instead of grated cheese. Since you're adding a second kind of nut to the raw almonds, not to mention a roasted nut, you'll get a greater depth of flavor. Another option is nutritional yeast flakes, which are often used as a cheese substitute. You can use one of the various types of plant-based milk to cook the turnips instead of dairy milk. It would work well to drizzle olive oil or melted margarine on top of the slices before baking instead of butter.