Roots & Tubers

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You will find recipes for the following roots & tubers on this page:

Beets
Carrots
Parsnips
Potatoes
Radishes
Turnips

BEETS

Zesty Beet Salad
1 large cucumber
1 tsp. coarse cooking salt
4 beets
1 medium red onion
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar

Peel, seed, and finely chop cucumber. Place cucumber in colander and sprinkle with salt; let mixture stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and grate trimmed beets. Chop onion finely. Rinse cucumber under cold water; drain on absorbent paper. Combine cucumber, beets, onion, mint, rind, juice, and sugar in large bowl.

CARROTS

Carrot Fritters
1 lb. carrots peeled and cut in small pieces
2 tsp butter melted
1 egg beaten
1/2-cup olive oil
1-cup flour
1/2-cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
salt

Cook carrots in a small amount of salted boiling water, until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and let stand until cool. Puree carrots in a food processor until smooth. Combine with the rest of the ingredients except olive oil. Mix well.
Heat the oil to 375°F in a skillet. Drop carrot mixture by tablespoonful into the oil. Cook, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.
Makes 18 fritters.

PARSNIPS

Parsnip Muffins
½ cup sliced almonds
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp kosher salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups (10 ounces) packed grated parsnips

Place the almonds in a single layer in a pie pan and set in oven. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the nuts until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes, while the oven heats. Meanwhile, line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with muffin papers or grease muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, vegetable oil and sugar. Add the flour mixture and parsnips, and fold with a spatula until all of the flour is moistened. There will be some lumps. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups ( 1/3 cup per muffin). Sprinkle the top of each with toasted almonds. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. The muffins should be golden brown.
Remove muffins from the tin to a cooling rack. Cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

POTATOES

Buttermilk Potato Salad
3 lb. small red potatoes
¼ cup plus 1 Tbs. crème fraiche, sour cream or yogurt
1/3-cup low fat buttermilk
2 Tbs. horseradish
2 tsp coarse salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
¼ cup dill
¼ cup finely chopped chives

Cover potatoes in water by 1 ½ " in a 2 quart pot & bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cooked. Approximately 20 minutes. Drain and cool completely. Cut potatoes into halves or quarters if large. Combine remaining ingredients and stir in potatoes.

Curried Potato and Pea Salad
2 lbs. mini new red potatoes, each halved or quartered, depending on size
3/4 cup mayonnaise or plain yogurt
3 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
2 to 3 tsp mild or medium curry powder
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 tsp honey
1 medium garlic clove, minced
salt to taste
1 1/4 cups freshly shelled peas (see Note)

Gently boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until just tender. Drain well, spread on a baking sheet and cool to room temperature. Combine the mayonnaise or yogurt, mint, curry powder, lime juice, honey, garlic and salt in a bowl. Mix in the potatoes and peas, reserving a few of the latter to sprinkle on the salad when ready to serve. Cover and refrigerate the salad until needed; can be made several hours in advance of serving. When ready to serve, spoon the salad onto a decorative platter, sprinkle with reserved peas and serve.
Note: I shelled a half-pound of pea pods to get the 1 1/4 cups of peas required for this recipe.

Solyanka
2 lbs. potatoes
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup yogurt
1 Tbs. butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 small head cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
5 cloves garlic
3 Tbs.. vinegar
3 Tbs. fresh dill
black pepper, lots to taste
paprika

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 qt casserole. Peel and chop the potatoes into small pieces. Boil 8 or 10 minutes, till tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Mash potatoes while hot, adding cottage cheese and yogurt. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet. Add onions and salt, and sauté about 5 minutes. Add caraway and cabbage, and sauté about 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. When cabbage is tender, add carrots, garlic and dill. Cook 5 more minutes, then remove from heat. Add sautéed veggies and all remaining ingredients EXCEPT paprika to the mashed potatoes. Mix well and spread into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the paprika on top. Bake uncovered 35 to 45, until heated through. Serve hot.

RADISHES

Root Salad
1 bunch radishes, sliced shredded or grated
½ bunch carrots, sliced shredded or grated
1-bunch Hakurei salad turnips
2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
3 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
4 tsp. olive oil

Toss together vegetables. Mix liquid ingredients in separate bowl. Taste the mixture and, if necessary, adjust vinegar, oils, or other ingredients to your liking. Pour over vegetables. Toss, then let marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

TURNIPS

Braised Hakurei Turnips
6 Hakurei turnips, tops removed
2 cups cold water
3/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup white soy sauce

Trim turnips and peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut the turnips into sixths and place them in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat; cook very slowly for about 15 minutes, or until just tender. Let cool to room temperature in the braising liquid, then drain and serve, great with steamed or roasted fish.