Mashed Turnips with Sage/Brown Butter

It's a 20 minute side dish!

Less, if you play your cards right.

These are turnips, friends.  Friends, meet turnips.  They're delicious, cheap, and underused.  You're going to want to try them ASAP. 

Also, I've learned via the Google Machine that they contain about one third the calories of potatoes.  They're a good source of fiber and vitamin C, too!  So....we should learn to love them, yes?  YES.  

These are mashed, and simple, and lovely.  The secret is cooking them in milk, which makes a really nice creamy texture when served.  Brown butter and crispy sage over the top well.....I gotta be me.  

You need turnips, butter, sage, milk, and salt.  That's IT.  2 small/medium turnips per person should do it, but cook more for vegetarian meals and leftovers!

Now, if you want to peel the turnips you can.  I didn't, so I scrubbed them, just like I do with beets, potatoes, and carrots.  However you prep your turnips, cut off the stem and root ends (if you buy greens with yours save them and cook 'em!), and cut them into chunks.  Mine were a little larger than one inch, and they cooked pretty quickly.  However large or small you cut these guys, just make sure they're similar in size. 

Put the turnips in a pot with a lid, and cover them with milk - how much milk you need will depend on the size of your pot.  

The turnips need to be allllllmost covered, but not quite.  

Cover the pot and bring the milk to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the turnips simmer for 15 - 20 minutes until they're very soft.  Drain them and save some of the cooking liquid!  You might need it later.  Place the turnips in a food processor or blender with a sprinkle of salt.  

Puree the turnips until they're smooth, then taste them.  Add more salt if you'd like!  If the turnips are very thick, add some of the cooking liquid.  Mine were thin, so I didn't add anything else to them.  

Now, for the sage brown butter.  Make this while the turnips are cooking!  Add a tablespoon or 2 of the butter to a small skillet over medium heat with the sage leaves. Allow the sage leaves to become coated in the butter - they'll turn dark green and slightly brown.  

When the sage leaves are cooked, remove them from the pan and let them drain on a paper towel.  Add the rest of the butter to any butter leftover in the sage pan, and swirl it around.

When the butter melts and foams, turn the heat off and keep stirring for a few minutes to let the butter brown.  YUM!

To serve, I put the turnips in a pretty dish.....

....and topped them with the sage leaves and a drizzle of the brown butter.

YUM.  You will love these!  They're a fun, lighter alternative to mashed potatoes and the sage is a great flavor addition.

I promise I won't tell anyone if you take a big spoonful right out of the serving dish.  PROMISE.

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