Don’t let the “gratin” dissuade you – this recipe is very easy to pull together. No complicated French stuff going on here. I tried a similar dish recently at Zocalo Bistro (Junction area): thickly sliced turnips were layered in a spelt crust, and baked with a béchamel sauce on top. This recipe is very similar, but even quicker to pull together.
Ingredients
2 medium turnips (about 1/2 pound total), peeled, and sliced 1/4 inch thin
a few slices of white onions, very thinly sliced, enough to cover the pan in one layer
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoon 100% whole hard wheat flour
1.5 cups 2% partly skimmed milk
1/2 teaspoon fine grey sea salt
4 ounces gruyere or old cheddar cheese
0 salt and pepper
0 8x5 baking pan or casserole dish or 1 half-baked pie shell
Shop this recipe1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Blanch the raw turnip slices in salted boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Remove from water and drain.
2. Coat the inside of the casserole dish with butter. [Omit if using a pie shell.]
3. Layer on half of the turnip slices in a single layer, season with salt and pepper. Layer on all of the onions. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Layer on the rest of the turnips. Set aside.
4. In a heavy sauce pot, heat the butter over a medium heat. Once the butter melts, slowly add in your flour and whisk. Its going to form a paste. Let the paste cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly to prevent the roux from burning (this also cooks away that FLOUR taste and makes it nutty-tasting). With your whisk in hand, slowly pour in your milk. Lower your flame so as not to scald the milk. Whisk in a figure 8 motion. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Allow the bechamel sauce to simmer slightly over low heat for about 5-8 minutes and then add your cheese. Stir the cheese in using figure 8 motions.
6. Once the sauce is nice and thick (think alfredo sauce), pour the sauce over the turnips.
Cover. And Bake for 20-25 minutes. uncover and bake for 5 additional minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
