GASTRONORMOUS

Last weekend the Hubs bought some beautiful turnips, beets, and potatoes at the local farmers’ market, and then last night wondered what the heck to do with them when he decided to make dinner for us. His solution was to turn to the internet and type in the ingredients as search terms. He came up with a recipe from a website that seems like a dubious source for recipes–a magazine for a radio program at Clemson University. I have not heard of that university, let alone their radio program or its magazine. I am sure glad he trusted it, though, because the dish turned out to be surprisingly delicious.

These are different than other roasted root vegetables recipes I have seen, in that in the final stages of roasting, the veggies are coated with broth and vinegar, which give the roots a beautiful and super tasty glaze.

He followed the recipe faithfully with a few exceptions: The beet greens, meant to be the basis of the salad, on our bunch was too wilted to use, so we used basic mixed greens instead. He used chili-flavored olive oil instead of plain olive oil for the roasted veggies to give the dish a bit of kick. He threw a couple new potatoes into the dish. Also, he couldn’t find fresh thyme, so he just used the called-for rosemary.

Roasted Beets and Turnips Salad
[from Your Day, Clemson University]

For the roasted roots:
Coarsely chopped Fresh Thyme (about 15 stems), divided into thirds
Coarsely chopped Fresh Rosemary (about 6 stems), divided into thirds
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 baby beets (about 1 inch in diameter), washed, unpeeled, leaves trimmed and saved (see salad below), root end trimmed and cut in half (1/4 if larger than 1”)
4 to 6 (about 1 pound) Turnips, washed, trimmed, peeled and cut into 6 – 8 wedges
1/4 cup canned low salt chicken broth
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

For the salad:
Reserved Beet Greens (or other greens)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix 2/3 of thyme and rosemary, oil and garlic in small bowl. Add turnips and beets to bowl. Toss with herb mixture and transfer to baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in oven, stirring once, about 40 minutes.
After vegetables are roasted, mix 1/3 herbs, chicken broth and 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar in small bowl and pour over roasted beets and turnips on baking sheet. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until liquid evaporates and vegetables are slightly glazed. About 5 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare beet greens by tearing leaves and washing, spin in salad spinner to dry or blot with paper towels. Mix together 1 clove garlic, 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl. Add beet greens and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. To serve arrange beet greens on salad plates and top with roasted vegetables. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

[Gastronormous notes: Next time I might add some bleu cheese to the vinaigrette for the greens. Also, personally, I would use salt and freshly ground pepper on both the root vegetables and in the vinaigrette for the greens.]

The Hubs thought I was too hard on Lodge in the restaurant review below. I thought that half the dishes were good, the other half mediocre. It was not a horrible restaurant, by any means. If the choice was between Lodge and the Olive Garden, don’t get me wrong, I’d absolutely choose Lodge.

If you have an opinion on Lodge, let us know!