Really good turnips!

If you know someone who is wary of turnips, I'm pretty sure you could win them over with this recipe by Cooks Illustrated (they test recipes "30, 40, sometimes as many as 70 times").

Of the options offered, I chose the combination of olive oil and butter (b/c I really wanted to like this dish) along with fresh rosemary. Instead of roasting garlic, I cooked minced garlic in olive oil in a sauce pan for about 30 seconds and added it to the roasting pan in the oven during the last few minutes of cooking. I also subbed yellow onion in large chunks instead of shallots. I garnished the dish with a chiffonade of the turnip leaves. These leaves are strong, but in such small doses they brighten the dish. A sprinkle of sea salt is the perfect finishing touch.

ROASTED TURNIPS, SHALLOTS, AND GARLIC WITH ROSEMARY

Serves 4. Published January 1, 1994 by Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:

1 medium head garlic

1 ½ pounds turnips or rutabagas, peeled and cut into 1 ¼ inch pieces

4 shallots, peeled

2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, or vegetable or olive oil, or a combination

1 teaspoon dried rosemary (crumbled), or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or thyme

table salt

ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. If roasting garlic cloves in skins simply break head into individual cloves. If you wish to roast cloves out of skins put whole, unpeeled head in a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer to soften cloves and loosen skins, about 10 minutes. Drain and refresh garlic head under cold water. Separate cloves and peel.

2. Put vegetables (excluding garlic) into a roasting pan large enough to hold them without crowding. Toss vegetables with butter and/ or oil, rosemary or thyme and sprinkle with salt. Roast, stirring or shaking vegetables every 15 minutes for 30 minutes. Add garlic. Raise heat to 425 degrees and continue roasting until tender and evenly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper; taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot or at room temperature.