rutabagas revisited.

so remember that one time i bought a rutabaga? well, a couple of weeks ago, i found this recipe for mashed rutabaga, and i thought i'd try it. it seemed simple enough, and i just happened to have a rutabaga on hand, so why not?

i mashed it, and we ate it. i took some pictures of the process, just to make the re-telling more interesting.

You Will Need:
a rutabaga. i think the recipe called for a large one, but think it all depends on just how dedicated you are to the idea of rutabaga. for experimental purposes, my small rutabaga was more that sufficient.
salt and pepper.
2 Tbsp.ish butter
1/2 oz. half and half. i used milk. and i did not measure it.
freshly grated nutmeg. or whatever came in that great spice rack you got as a wedding present.

Step 1: peel the rutabaga and cut into chunks. sneaky little buggers left this step out of the instructions, just sneaking it into the ingredient list. this step should more accurately read:
Step 1A - attack rutabaga with every sharp object you have in your kitchen. when one fails to cut through the waxy skin, move onto the next one. alternate sharp objects so the rutabaga does not become immune to their advances. *note* - ALWAYS peel AWAY from yourself, your extremeties, and your cat. sharp objects WILL slip on the rutabaga peel and be propelled at alarming speeds toward whatever is in its path.

Step 1B - find your biggest knife. use all your force to plunge it into the rutabaga. struggle for as long as you physically can. take a break and regroup.

 struggle, rest, repeat until the rutabaga is sliced and diced into submission. the first cut is the deepest. and by deepest i mean most difficult.

Step 2: place chunks into steamer basket, over pot of simmering water. sprinkle with salt. leave for at least 25 minutes or until soft, because although everyone on the internets say that a rutabaga is exactly like a potato, they take WAY longer to cook.

Step 3: mash the rutabaga with butter and milk. i used my potato masher. they did not get creamy like potatoes (perhaps if i would have added some more milk) but they were fairly cohesive.
Step 3A - check out that awesome color!

Step 4: sprinkle with nutmeg to taste... enjoy!

if you are wondering what rutabagas taste like, Mark says they are kind of like a mixture between corn and carrots, which in his opinion was not his new favorite, but i thought they were pretty delicious!

try it  for yourself - pick up a rutabaga today in your local produce section.

bon apetit!