Gratins are little bubbly jewels, perfect sides to warm your fall table. Surprise your guests taste buds with a change from the predictable potato side, Turnip Gratin with Bleu Cheese–get to know another little member of the root vegetable family, the turnip.
Turnips are a fall root vegetable that are most often associated with potatoes or beets, but their closest relatives actually are radishes and arugula, which makes them members of the mustard family. It is this family relation that contributes to the spicy bite of turnips. Smaller, younger turnips are said to be milder that their larger counterparts.
This gratin features turnips, slow-roasted in a bath of cream that mellows their bite, along with sweet onions and a crispy bleu cheese topping to create a creamy-spiced side that stands up alongside classic holiday favorites such as roast beef, lamb or ham, providing a complementary mustard-like zip.
This is a dish I made often working as a personal chef for my foodie clients, they enjoyed the surprise of the turnip’s spicy nature. If you aren’t ready to take the full turnip plunge, consider the gratin using equal parts turnips and potatoes, for a milder spice. It’s a bake ahead recipe–just reheat covered in the oven and serve.
The holidays are almost here again, so you never know what’s turning up in the Bijouxs kitchen. Thank you again to all Bijouxs readers for your support as I bring you the little jewels recipe collection!
P.S. I added a simple handheld slicer and favorite gratin dishes on the Bijouxs Basics board at Pinterest!
As always, enjoy. B
Can you say approximately how many cups of turnips? I have very small, baby turnips and may need to add potatoes to get the proper ratio. Thanks.
Hi Lori,
If the turnips are small like mine were, I would use smaller gratin baking dishes, using quantity the turnips you have.. you may get 4 dishes you may get more.
Thank you!