Scalloped rutabaga

Rutabagas are members of the Brassica family which includes cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale and radish.

Rutabagas are often confused with turnips but there are subtle differences between the two. Rutubagas are a hybrid between a cabbage and turnip. They are slightly bigger with a sweeter flavor than a turnip. Rutabagas have yellow flesh with a yellow and brown skin while turnips have a white flesh with purple and white skin. Both can be grown on the Canadian prairies but it's best to grow them under insect netting to avoid insect problems that both are prone too.

Both potatoes and rutabagas store well in a cold storage room so they are the perfect staple for this heart warming meal on a cold day!

Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups of thinly sliced (1/8 inch slices) rutabaga
• pinch of table salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 cup sliced (1/8 inch slices) potato
• 1 cup shredded Gouda or Swiss cheese

Sauce ingredients:

• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 cups half and half cream
• 2 cups homogenized milk
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

Add rutabaga to a pot of cold water with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cook for ten minutes.

Melt butter and saute onions. Set to the side.

Melt 3 tbsp of butter in sauce pan, add flour and stir for three minutes. Take off the heat, slowly add the cream mixing until smooth. Place pan back on heat to let it thicken and slowly add milk until sauce is smooth. Add in seasonings.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole pan. Add sauce to cover bottom of the pan. Layer potatoes, rutabagas, sauce and half the cheese. Top the dish with remaining cheese and sauted onion. Bake at 350F for one hour or until potatoes are soft. Enjoy! 

This recipe is adapted from the book "Cooking with the Wolfman - Indigenous Fusion" by David Wolfman and Marlene Finn.