Creamy Mashed Turnip Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make mashed turnips not bitter? ›

Just as I do potatoes, I boil turnips in a mixture of salted water, a dash of heavy cream (or milk), and some chicken bouillon to enhance the flavor. It's also helpful to cook them with a chopped potato, which helps to absorb some of the bitterness.

Turnips may get a bad rap, maybe because they tend to be a little on the bitter side—some folks say they taste like a cross between cabbage and radish.

One turnip website from the United Kingdom notes that if you boil them, add a little sugar to tame the scent and add baking soda to reduce bitterness.

In fact, I'd go so far as to claim that turnips, when mashed, are better than their potato counterparts, and a far more interesting vehicle for gravy. Cooked turnips are firm yet velvety, slightly nutty, and bring a bit more oomph to your holiday spread.

Try adding fresh herbs (rosemary is particularly delicious with the spicy bite of turnips) or spices, or combine the turnips with other root vegetables as you like. You'll find some variations at the end of the recipe. They're tasty all on their own but can certainly benefit from a bit of extra love.

Add the turnips and potatoes to a large stockpot and fill the pot with water, enough to cover the vegetables. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, then simmer until the turnips are tender (they may take longer to cook than the potatoes), about 15 minutes.

Turnips are a healthy alternative to potatoes; they're lower in calories and have fewer carbs. Smaller, sweeter turnips can be sliced into wedges and eaten raw like an apple.

Turnips and other cruciferous vegetables that are high in fiber help make people feel fuller for longer, and they are low in calories. Eating high fiber meals also helps keep blood sugar levels stable. The fiber content in turnips may also prevent constipation and promote regularity for a healthy digestive tract.

Turnips are a cruciferous vegetable with multiple health benefits. They boast an impressive nutritional profile, and their bioactive compounds, such as glucosinolates, may support blood sugar control, protect against harmful bacteria, and provide anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects.

Rutabagas are also generally much larger than turnips. So for a quick rule of thumb, the brownish-yellowish ones are rutabagas, and the smaller white and purple ones are turnips. In terms of their flavor, rutabagas are slightly sweeter-tasting than turnips whereas turnips have a slightly more radishy flavor.

Why is my mashed turnip bitter? ›

Some should only be in the ground 5-7 weeks others can last outside all winter. Stress may cause them to go bitter (lack of water, to much heat etc) Frost will not remove bitterness as all frost can do is sweeten them some by changing some carbohydrate to sugar and carbohydrates are not the cause of the bitterness.

Boil or steam turnips and add them to mashed potatoes for extra vitamins and minerals. Grate them raw into salads or slaws. Roast them with other root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes, and bring out their natural sweetness.

Blanch Them

Blanching your greens is key to getting that bitterness level down. Because glucosinolates are water-soluble compounds, a lot of them are leached out into the water, allowing for a less bitter green.

Salt draws out the natural sweetness of potatoes as they boil, intensifying their earthy goodness to prevent them from tasting bland or bitter. The potatoes absorb that salty, briny quality into every nook and cranny as they cook so every bite of your mashed potatoes brims with savory, mouthwatering flavor.

Acidity can draw out a pleasant flavour from bitter greens. If they're being used for a salad, it's good to add a vinaigrette with plenty of acid to brighten it up. If you are sauteing, you can add some vinegar or citrus to the greens to finish them off.