Leave my husband out of this.
Photography by Matt Hocking
Turnips are one of the vegetables I approached a bit trepidatiously, eating them for the first time as an adult. I didn’t really know what to expect from this purple-topped, slightly-pointed root vegetable, but it’s reputation wasn’t good. I was pleasantly surprised when the flavor turned out to be best described as a more flavorful potato with a pleasant bit of sharpness and, when fresh, wonderful sweetness. So where does its unpleasant reputation come from?
Turnips are a Brassica, a member of the cabbage and mustard family. When stored, as they age and dry out, as they often have by the time they reach the grocery store shelf, they take on sharp, mustardy, bitter notes. But, fresh from the farm in the fall they are sweet and crisp. A more flavorful potato.
Every time I say that to my potato-loving, Mid-western husband, he strongly disagrees. “Nope. Not potatoes,” he says, shaking his head and walking away. So, I’m going to recommend you go ahead and enjoy this tender, hearty, New England-style pot roast, and we’ll just leave my husband out of it.
Mushroom and Turnip Pot Roast
Serves 6 – 8
How do you improve upon the classic New England pot roast? Enter the turnip - like a potato with more flavor. Slow cooked, the tender turnips give this dish a pleasant boost, while mushrooms and homemade stock give this inexpensive, tender cut of beef, rich, deep flavor. This takes about 4 hours to cook but all the work is done in the first 20 minutes and you’re house will smell amazing!
Photography by Matt Hocking
Ingredients:
3 strips bacon
3 pound pot roast
1 cup diced Crimini mushrooms
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1/2 cup dry red wine
3 cups homemade beef stock or half and half store bought chicken and beef stocks
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2 tbs chopped rosemary
2 cups sliced Crimini mushrooms
2 large turnips, cut in 2” chunks
Directions:
• Fry bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving fat in pot.
• Season beef with salt and pepper. Return Dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add beef and sear on all sides. Remove beef and reserve on a plate.
• If pan is dry, add 2 tbs olive oil. Add diced mushrooms and cook until brown on edges. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook 5 minutes longer. Add red wine and deglaze pot, scraping up any brown bits. Return beef and bacon to pot with stock, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and rosemary. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until fork tender, about 3 hours.
• Add sliced mushrooms and turnips to pot. Cover and cook until turnips are tender, 50-60 minutes longer. Remove beef and vegetables from pot. Reduce broth by half and serve over beef and vegetables.
Tip: To get a good sear on your pot roast, your pan will have to be nice and hot. Let it warm up until the bacon fat sends up the first wisp of smoke.
Tip: Winter turnips from your farm market are tender and sweet while ones from the grocery store that have been sitting around a bit longer can be bitter. Slow cooking with the beef mellows out the bitter ones and makes farm-fresh turnips fantastic!
