Turnip Gratin

In my book, the turnip is an underappreciated and underutilized vegetable. I’m always on the scout for tasty recipes that encourage folks to try the nutritious and delicious turnip. This hardy root grows in a wide range of soil types, and stores well in the root cellar way into spring.
During the summer season, we enjoy hakurei, a salad turnip. When eaten raw, their flavor is sweet and fruity, and the texture is crisp and tender. These days, we are enjoying purple top white globe, the traditional American turnip. I grate it for salads, soups and sandwiches, cut into sticks for snacking, and roast cubes in a hot oven for a simple supper side dish.
The inspiration for Turnip Gratin came from a recent dining experience at Arborvine in Blue Hill. Relishing someone else’s cuisine is a treat for me, and this was no exception. I ordered a wood-roasted, grass-fed sirloin steak that was absolutely delicious. But the vegetables, especially the gratin, were even better.
By definition, a gratin is any dish that is topped with cheese or breadcrumbs mixed with butter. In Turnip Gratin, the turnip slices are seasoned with thyme, cayenne pepper, and sea salt and poached in a mixture of chicken stock and heavy cream. When fork-tender, they are topped with Parmesan cheese and cooked until golden brown. This process creates delicate, thyme-perfumed morsels of melt-in-your-mouth turnip. Not a turn-up-your-nose type of dish, this recipe is a simple and tasty way to enjoy turnip.