Roasted Rutabaga Fries

By this time of year there isn't much that's still available in the way of storage vegetables, at least not ones that aren't very, very tired. Rutabaga is one of the few. I haven't quite figured out where it stands in the new diet, but I've been eating a lot of it lately anyway. It doesn't make me feel off-kilter the way the last potato dish I made did, so there's that. 

I'd certainly had the idea of roasting rutabaga as fries, but had never quite gotten around to doing it. Fortunately, Molly Watson at The Spruce Eats has done it already and I just did what she told me, although I did turn down the heat a little and I'm glad I did. Yummy!

You do have to like rutabaga - the roasting really intensifies their flavour a lot. One cup (and all these measurements are highly approximate, it's that kind of thing) is probably closer to what most people will eat, but keep in mind they will shrink by about 1/3 in the roasting.

per serving
1 hour - 20 minutes prep time

1 to 2 cups rutabaga, when peeled and cut
2 teaspoons mild vegetable oil, about
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
other seasonings, such as paprika, savory, etc

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Peel the rutabaga, whatever quantity you believe will be eaten, and cut it into thin French-fry shapes of about 1/4" across. I found it easiest to cut 3 slices at a time, then stack and cut them in the other direction.

Put all the fries into a mixing bowl and toss with just enough oil to coat them lightly. Spread them out on a large baking tray and sprinkle with whatever seasonings you like; I used the ones mentioned above.

Roast the fries at 425°F for 20 minutes, then turn them over and roast them for another 15 to 20 minutes. Watch them towards the end, as they will darken and burn fairly rapidly. Brown is fine, desirable even, but crunchy, in this case, is not good.




Last year at this time I made Oatmeal Scones.

Posted in: Ontario Food