Baked Finnish yellow turnip fries with thyme and fresh dip

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Yellow turnip (also known as Swede or Rutabaga), in Finnish lanttu, is a highly used vegetable in Finnish cuisine. It´s a cross between regular turnip nauris and cabbage kaali. I mentioned in my article about Finnish tradional meals that nauris was the most important and oldest crop in Finland until potatoes were introduced to Europe.

The most typical Finnish dish from the yellow turnip, is a turnip casserole lanttulaatikko which is usually prepared for Christmas. Yellow turnip is also often used as a filling for rye pastry. It´s slightly sweet, its taste reminds me of something between carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes. 

The price/quality ratio is very good. A lot of music for little money. Yellow turnips are great nutritionally, they are considered as superfood. They contain a lot of fiber, vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C and K, potassium, calcium and magnesium. And they have lower amount of calories than potatoes. Turnips are a common, yet high quality food that stores well over the winter, is filling and healthy. And it's affordable.

Let's celebrate this exceptional vegetable and prepare something good from it!

This recipe is a variation on my favourite baked potatoes and it´s extremely delicious. It´s easy on preparation, can be eaten as a side dish or as a light dinner. Feel free to experiment with spices according to your tastes.



Ingrediets:

  • 700 g yellow turnip lanttu
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of pepper
  • pinch of thyme
  • 50 g grated Emmental

Tip: I like to add some beetroot for colour.

Dip:

  • 200 g sour cream
  • one spring onion stalk
  • pinch of salt


Procedure:

Cut the turnips into fries about 1 cm wide. Mix with oil and spices. Put in an oven heated to about 180 degrees. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally. Bake until golden about 30 - 45 min. Cca 15 min before it's done sprinkle with grated cheese. During baking, prepare the dip by mixing the spices with sour cream and finely chopped spring onion stalk.

Bon appetit! Hyvää ruokahalua!



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