Scalloped Turnips -- The Quiet Satisfaction of January Root Vegetables

School resumes on Monday. Winter break is over and I am ready for it: I have been home with two almost-two-year-olds for two weeks and we have loved it and also I need my classroom back. I need my twenty students who are not related to me and who need me in a different way than Owen and Nora need me, and who challenge me in different ways, and who will, by the end of this year, be fifth-graders who I send forward having given them everything I could.

The twins are almost two. Their birthday is February 6th. I am not making a big production of this year's birthday — they are two, they will not remember it, the production is for us and for the grandparents who want to mark it — but I am making their cake myself and I am inviting the same people as last year and I am going to stand in that room and feel the two years of it, the NICU and the walking and the "more please" and the "I love you, Mama" and the golabki on Christmas Eve and Nora saying "Babcia" and looking for her and all of it.

I went back to Dziadek Wally's on Thursday with soup and beet salad. He was more animated than November. He told me a story about Babcia Rose that I had not heard, about when they were first in America and she learned English from a dictionary she found at a church sale and the first sentence she memorized was "may I please have more coffee" because she thought it was the most important sentence she could know. He laughed when he told this. It was the laugh of someone who is still surprised, after sixty-eight years, by the person they loved.

White bean soup with rosemary and Parmesan rind on Sunday: dried white beans soaked overnight, chicken broth, a heel of Parmesan rind from the Jewel cheese counter, fresh rosemary from the windowsill pot, garlic. It simmered for two hours and was rich and almost creamy from the rind and it was the right soup for January, which requires substance.

Sunday was already a cooking day—the white bean soup was on the stove, the house smelled like rosemary and Parmesan, and I had that particular January feeling of wanting to fill the refrigerator before the week started. Scalloped turnips felt like the right companion: quiet, substantial, the kind of vegetable dish that asks nothing dramatic of you but rewards patience. It’s the sort of thing Babcia Rose would have made without thinking twice, pulling something humble from the root cellar and turning it into something worth sitting down for.

Scalloped Turnips

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs turnips, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/8 inch)
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter or nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Parboil the turnips. Place sliced turnips in a large saucepan, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes until just beginning to soften. Drain well and set aside.
3. Sauté the onion. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes until softened and translucent.
4. Make the béchamel. Sprinkle the flour over the softened onion and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time, until the sauce is smooth. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 4–5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese until melted.
5. Layer and assemble. Arrange half the turnip slices in the prepared baking dish. Pour half the cheese sauce over the top. Repeat with the remaining turnips and sauce.
6. Top and bake. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Scatter evenly over the top of the dish. Bake uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and the turnips are completely tender when pierced with a knife.
7. Rest and serve. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve warm as a side dish alongside roasted meat, soup, or on its own.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 480mg