Scalloped Turnips

Oolala's Note:

Mrs. Carl Albert submitted this in a 1971 cookbook called Favorite Recipes of our First Ladies. Her husband was speaker of the house and she said this is one of his favorite recipes because "he is a country boy and loves fresh vegetables and greens" - haven't made it yet. This recipe calls for grated cheese but doesn't specify which one so if you make it, let us know what cheese you used and how it was.* I think I would peel the turnips and for the white sauce- it doesn't say how to make it- ie. if you should make it over heat or if you should melt the butter- if you had success with a method, please tell us what you did! Thanks!

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 3 turnips, medium sized
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Slice the turnips and boil them in salted water about 15 minutes.
2. Make a white sauce with the butter, flour, milk, salt and pepper.
3. Place the turnips in a baking dish, pour the sauce over and sprinkle with the grated cheese on top.
4. Bake at 450 degrees F. about 10 minutes and serve very hot.

Reviews

[breezermom]

This tastes delicious....a whole new way to eat turnips for me! My turnips must have been really small...I had 2 and used 2/3 the sauce and cheese, and it was too much sauce for the turnips. I made traditional white sauce, melting the butter, adding the flour and stirring for 1 minute, adding in the salt and pepper, then adding the milk until thickened. Poured this over the sliced turnips and sprinkled the cheese on. Next time I think I will add some cheese to the white sauce as well before pouring over the turnips. Thanks for sharing!

[MrsKette]

Delicious. I used whole wheat flour and 2 cups of milk; 4 turnips were boiled only 5 minutes. I plan to try rutabagas next time. The whole wheat flour imparted a suttle "nutty" flavor to the sauce. Also, I mixed Parmesan cheese to the sauce and broiled a couple of minutes at the end of the baking time. Will certainly make it again. Thanks for a delicious recipe that can be served as every-day dinner and also at a dinner party. (PS: added a dash of red pepper to sauce.)

[Queen Roachie]

I have never had a turnip before in my life, so I was looking for something that would be an easy introduction. This was delicious and easy to make. I used 4 smaller turnips rather than 3 and I could have used more had I had them in the house. For anyone wondering, you make a white sauce by heating the butter over medium/med high heat, then whisk in the flour and whisk constantly for a minute or two to cook the flour a bit, then pour in your milk (slowly, so it doesn't splash) whisking quickly to break up any lumps. You then cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens to the consistency you like, then add seasoning to taste. I added a bit of colby/jack to the sauce, then put the rest on top. I really loved this, as did my 18 mo, but the 5 yo and my husband did not care for it. I will make it again, just giving them a backup dish. I thought turnips would have a "rootier" flavor, but these were really mild. I did peel them before slicing. Thanks for sharing the great recipe, and sorry for the super long review!