Cooking Around the Calendar

Tatties and Neeps, for the win!

The potato is the world’s fourth most important crop, after rice, wheat and corn. It is the number one crop among non-grains. For a new world crop, native to the Andes in South America, the world has taken this tuber to heart. Part of its global popularity is its high nutritional value, and ease of cultivation. Even J.R.R. Tolkien thought it was important enough to be a staple crop of Middle Earth. Just ask Sam Gamgee for some recipe ideas.

Every carb loving American probably loves their mashed potatoes. I know I do! In the U.K., they don’t limit their mashed starch to just potatoes. They also mash rutabagas, parsnips and my favorite, turnips.

Tatties and neeps, (that’s potatoes and turnips to us), are a delicious combination. It’s amazing to me how the turnips add such an extra dimension of flavor to the humble potato. I love it as a side dish, and as a topping for my shepard’s pie, and as a component of a wonderful appetizer called a Haggis Stack.

I once spent a year or so living in a small town in North Carolina. They grow a lot of turnips there! I know southerner’s like their greens. During harvest season, the farmer’s markets and roadside stands were stacked high with turnip greens.

But the actual turnip root bulbs were scarce and I found that a bit puzzling. My inquiring mind needed to know! A little research gave a fairly simple answer. Not all varieties of turnip are suitable to be eaten as greens, and not all are suitable to be eaten as roots. Turnips greens can be harvested young, while they are tender, and can sometimes produce a second harvest of greens. This type of turnip root is tougher and not as good for eating.

If you are lucky enough to find them, turnips that are harvested young produce both tender greens and delicious young roots.

I can’t leave the subject of turnips without offereing up my favorite movie quote regarding turnips. Or maybe it’s the only movie quote about turnips.

“The poor baby turnip – nobody likes them. Of course, life is easy if you are a truffle or a shitake mushroom. But the turnip is to be loved because she is a self-made woman of vegetables. All the others, you can only destroy with cooking; but the turnip, she gets better. So, you see, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish!” – Chef Didier in Last Holiday

Tatties and Neeps

An easy side dish of mashed turnips and potatoes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Dinner, Side Dish, Supper

Cuisine: Scottish

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 pounds turnips
• 1 cup whole milk room temperature
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

 

1. Peel and dice the potatoes. Rinse them in cold water, until the water is clear. This removes the surface starch and prevents the mash from becoming gummy.
2. Place potatoes and garlic in a large pot with cold salted water. Bring to simmer and cook 15 minutes.
3. Peel and dice the turnips and rinse with cold water.
4. After the potatoes have cooked 15 minutes, add the turnips to the pot. Once the water returns to a simmer, cook for another 15 minutes.
5. Drain the cooking liquid and move the vegetables to your serving dish. Mash them to your preference. A potato masher will result in a slightly coarser mash, a hand mixer will give a smooth mash, and a ricer will give the creamiest texture.
6. Stir in the milk and butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Notes

Mashed tatties and neeps are always delicious by themselves. They are even better served with gravy or used to top a shepard’s pie. 

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!