Braised rutabaga "au gratin"

Rutabaga “Au gratin”

Ingredients:

• 80ml olive oil + 20ml
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely dice
• 1 Tsp. Salt  + 1 Tsp. ground white pepper (At the beginning with the onion)
• 1 small rutabaga, peeled* and grated (using a large cheese grater)
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 Tsp. nutmeg
• 1 Tsp. salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese

Method:

1.   Pre-heat oven to 390˚F
2. Heat-up the olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat with the butter, add the onions and season with 1 Tsp. of salt and 1 Tsp. ground white pepper.
3. Gently cook for about 5 minutes or until soft.
4. Add the grated rutabaga to the onion, cranberries, nutmeg and the remaining 20ml of olive oil with the last Tsp. of salt.
5. Cook on medium heat until the rutabaga has dropped in volume and start to slightly brown.
6. 6 Remove from heat and stir in the cream.
7. Transfer into a buttered ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella.
8. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the gratin is nicely browned.

NOTE: Rutabaga has a skin made of two layers and therefore a knife needs to be use for peeling instead of a peeler. Cut both ends of the rutabaga and sit it straight up on the table (like you would do for peeling a melon or any large fruit) and slice down strips of the thick skin making sure to remove the white bitter part beneath the waxing thin outer skin.

You can also add ½ cup of chopped toasted walnuts for great additional taste and texture.