I went to a winter farmers market last weekend, wondering what would be available at a winter farmers market in New England. There were a few meat stands, some cheese, pickles, the best yogurt I have ever bought, and lots and lots of root vegetables. I haven't tried many of the more exotic root vegetables, so I decided to get a variety and serve them in simple presentations to see what they were all about. The first night, I jsut cubed and roasted them to see the difference between them all. The second night, I boiled them all together and made a root veggie mash.
This is a marinade for the flank steak that went with the veggies.
I bought this flank at the farmers market too. I later visited their farm and bought a nice slab of pork belly! Shout out to Austin Brothers Farm in Belchertown, MA.
These are the roots we tried. ?usetlove, Black Thought, and... err, I mean kohlrabi, celery root, and rutabaga.
These things are tough to peel. All of them.
Make equal sized cubes. I brushed some melted butter on these and added salt and pepper. I baked them about an hour at 425.
I grilled the flank steak. Look at that tasty marinade! It is cold out!
Yum. I like celery root mashed, but didn't love it roasted. The kohlrabi was tasty, but slightly bitter. The rutabaga was the big winner amongst the diners.
The next night I made a root veg mash with caramelized onions. This is 2 onions cooked down. Then I added garlic.
The veggies after being boiled for an hour. These take longer than potatoes!
Then just mash them the way you mash potatoes. I do mine in the stand mixer. Don't forget to mix in the onions and garlic. The topping is some balsamic and red wine reduced to a syrup. It was tasty on the chicken and mash and a healthier alternative to gravy. Just like the root mash was a healthier alternative to potatoes.
This girls didn't find it to be a suitable substitute for mashed potatoes. I did though, I loved it and I hope to mess with more of these roots while they are still in season!
For the flank marinade:
1 onion
8 cloves of garlic
teaspoon cumin
teaspoon coriander
teaspoon dried chile
cilantro stalks and roots
a cup of orange juice
To roast root vegetables, jsut peel them and cut into 1 inch chunks. Salt, pepper, and butter. Roast at 425 for almost an hour, flipping once.
For Root veg and caramelized onion mash, caramelize 2 diced onions. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook 2 minutes. Set aside. Peel and cut the roots again. Add to a pot and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender. this will take a while, longer than potatoes. Then drain and mash with the onions and some sour cream. Add salt and pepper if needed.
Love the idea with the veggies. I will try to visit the farm.Love your blog BTW.
That yogurt was amazing, I need to get 2 next time! These root veggies were definitely interesting. I didn't try the mashed, but I thought the roasted had a really nice flavor. I didn't expect it from the way they looked. Delish as always.
So that's what kholrabi looks like...
You should try the kohlrabi raw, too -- I always use it in salads like I'd use uncooked carrots. Or, it's also great raw just dipped in a bit of ranch dressing as a snack.
Put on a jacket man!
That's a good lookin' flank steak.