I love gratins, as you can see in my Gratin Collection! So, I knew I had to make a Hakurei turnip gratin as soon as this year’s crop showed up at the farmer’s market. Hakurei turnips (and their cousins, the red Hidabeni turnip), are wonderful, mild turnips great in salads, pickled, and certainly in gratins. This simple turnip gratin makes the most of fresh, seasonal produce and is indeed simple to make.
I was going to make an all white turnip gratin, since those are the ones I usually see at the market. But this year I came across the red Hidabeni variety, and I thought why not? So I picked up a bunch of each and set about making some gratin. Something that is so nice about young turnips like these is that they don’t even need to be peeled. Just give them a scrub and you’re good to go. I think the contrast of the red skins against all the white in the dish is very pretty.
And also tasty. 🙂
Though I’m showing the recipe using these beautiful, local turnips, the gratin would still be tasty with any mild, young turnip which is available to you.
Once I decided on the turnips I was using, it was time to think about any other vegetables I could add to the gratin. I considered carrots, but I didn’t want this recipe to be too sweet. (Turnips and carrots together are an idea for another day. 🙂 ) Then I thought about potatoes – since they are great in gratins always – but I was going for a lighter style of gratin. And then it came to me. Onions!
A thin layer of white onions right in the middle of the gratin was exactly what I wanted. Not too sweet. Not too starchy. Just right.
The last component was the dairy. I tried the gratin both with and without cream, and highly preferred the cream. It made a lovely sauce which complemented the turnips. So, yes to the cream! As for the cheese, I do love gruyere in a gratin, and adding it at the last moment turned out to be perfect. You won’t get that browned top, but the gruyere stays nice and gooey since it’s only heated briefly.
All in all, this was a gratin which I happily ate up as soon as I put the camera down. Yum!
If you try my recipe for Simple Turnip Gratin, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Simple Turnip Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb mild young turnips, cut into 2 mm slices
- 1/2 small white onion, cut into 2 mm slices
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz gruyere, grated
- 1 oz parmesan cheese, finely shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Pour a little olive oil into the bottom of your gratin dish and spread it around so that it coats the bottom.
- Arrange half of the turnip slices into a layer then top with the onion slices, 1 tablespoon of the thyme, and a little more olive oil. Then, layer on the other half of the turnip slices. Top with the rest of the thyme and the remaining olive oil.
- Cover the gratin dish with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the turnips are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Take the gratin out of the oven, pour the heavy cream over, and sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the top. Return the gratin to the oven and bake just until the the cheese melts, 1-2 minutes, then serve.
Notes
- Turnips: I used a mix of Japanese red turnips (Hidabeni) and Japanese white turnips (Hakurei) in my gratin. Any mild, young turnip will work.
- Mandoline: To slice the turnips and the onion, I used my GSD Mandoline. I just snapped in my 2 mm blade and finished in moments.
- Amount of Cream: The gratin will be a little saucy from the cream. If you want a drier gratin, reduce or omit the cream.
- Be Careful with the Cheese: Don't leave the gratin in the oven too long with the cheese on top. Gruyere will seize at high temperatures. Once it starts to look melted, take it out!
carrie williams says
what is the sodium content of this dish?
justalittlebitofbacon says
Sorry, I have no idea.
simonacallas says
I love turnips too and I am impressed by your gratin collection! It’s a great source of inspiration, thank you for sharing all these wonderful recipes 🙂 I’m not very familiar with turnip because it’s not an usual product on the market in my country but I would like to try this turnip gratin. I am sure it’s delicious!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! I do love making all sort of gratins. 🙂 Too bad you don’t have turnips where you are. They are a very tasty and versatile vegetable.
Evan Kristine says
This looks absolutely delicious! I love turnip but really never thought of using it for gratin, thanks for sharing the recipe!
justalittlebitofbacon says
I love turnips and gratin, so it seemed the perfect pairing to me.
Claudia says
you just gave turnips a new life, what a great dish!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! 🙂
Alli Kelley says
You have inspired me to grow turnips in my garden! I love this recipe. I am also a huge fan of gruyere in gratins – it’s just the perfect pairing. So excited to try this recipe out!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Good luck on growing them. 🙂 I don’t grow them myself, but I do love eating them.
Dahn says
yes! the turnip crops are coming in, I just love the summer crops. Your gratin looks wonderful
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! The summer crops are wonderful. I want to cook everything.
Ludmilla says
I love vegetables “gratin”!! It’s a delicious way to eat them!! Your recipe looks delicious.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thank you! Gratins are definitely a favorite of mine. 🙂