Stuffed Turnips.—A

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large saucepan, at least 4 quarts (4 liters)
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy sauté pan with straight sides
• •1-inch (2.5 cm) round vegetable cutter or small melon baller
• •Potato ricer, food mill, or fine-mesh sieve
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Small basting spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Shape and score

   Trim the stem end of each turnip just enough to make a stable seat, then peel it in smooth strokes, keeping the vegetables as equal in size as possible. Center a 1-inch (2.5 cm) round vegetable cutter on the root end and press it about 1¼ inches (3 cm) into the flesh without piercing the opposite end. This cut marks the cavity but does not empty it yet, which follows the source method and protects the raw turnip from cracking.

2. 2

   Parboil until yielding

   Bring about 3 quarts (3 liters) of water and 1 tablespoon of the salt to a gentle boil in a large saucepan. Add the turnips and parboil for 12 to 16 minutes, keeping the water at a calm simmer, until a fine skewer enters the outer flesh with slight resistance. They must yield without becoming soft. A hard boil knocks them together and encourages splits, so lower the heat if the water grows rough. Lift the turnips onto a tray, then add the potato to the same water and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until completely tender. Drain it well and return it briefly to the dry, warm saucepan so its surface moisture evaporates.

3. 3

   Hollow the shells

   When the turnips are cool enough to hold, twist the cutter gently and lift out the central plug. Use a small melon baller or teaspoon to remove the surrounding softened pulp, leaving walls and a floor about ⅜ inch (1 cm) thick. Reserve every scrap of pulp. If the flesh resists, stop digging and return that turnip to simmering water for 2 minutes; forcing an undercooked shell is how holes happen. If one cracks, press a little filling into the split from inside and set that side against a neighboring turnip during the final cooking.

4. 4

   Build equal purées

   Press the turnip pulp through a fine sieve or potato ricer, then spread it in the dry saucepan over low heat and stir for 2 to 4 minutes, until it looks smooth and a spoon drawn through it leaves a clean trail. Weigh this dried purée. Rice the potato separately and weigh out exactly the same amount, reserving any excess potato for another plate. Combine the equal weights gently and season with the remaining salt and the white pepper. The ratio is the structure of the filling. If the mixture slumps from the spoon, don't add more potato and disturb it. Ça se rattrape: spread the mixture in the warm pan and fold it gently over low heat until it holds a ridge.

5. 5

   Fill and dome

   Blot the insides of the turnip shells dry. Pack the purée into each cavity without forcing the walls outward, then divide the remaining filling among them and shape the visible portions into smooth domes with two teaspoons or a small palette knife. The added potato doubles and steadies the withdrawn pulp, so there should be enough filling to rise generously above each opening.

6. 6

   Baste in butter

   Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy 12-inch (30 cm) sauté pan over low to medium-low heat. When the butter is liquid and softly foaming, arrange the turnips on their flat stem ends with the domes upright. Cook uncovered for 12 to 18 minutes, turning the pan occasionally and spooning butter over the shells and domes every minute or two. Add the remaining butter in small pieces halfway through. The shells are ready when a skewer passes through easily, the bottoms show light bronze, and the domes have taken a pale butter-gold tint. If the butter turns dark before the turnips are tender, lift them out, wipe the pan clean, lower the heat, and continue with the reserved fresh butter. Burnt milk solids taste bitter; they aren't part of the dish.

7. 7

   Gloss and serve

   Take the pan from the heat and let the turnips rest for 2 minutes, then give each one a final spoonful of the clear butter from the pan. Transfer them carefully to a warm serving dish, keeping the domes upright, and serve at once beside roast poultry, veal, or lamb. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose true turnips with smooth white-and-purple skins, about 2½ to 3 inches (6 to 7.5 cm) across. Baby turnips provide too little room for the filling, while very large ones can be woody. A rutabaga or swede is too dense and is not the same vegetable.
• •A digital scale protects the source's exact proportion. Weigh the turnip purée only after drying it, then match that number with riced potato. Measuring the two by volume is less reliable because one may be packed more tightly.
• •Don't use a blender or food processor for the potato. Fast blades release too much starch and turn it elastic; a ricer, food mill, or fine sieve gives the dry, quiet texture the dome requires.
• •A small melon baller is sufficient if you don't own a round vegetable cutter. Score the cavity before parboiling with the tip of a paring knife, then remove the softened pulp afterward with the baller.
• •Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat them gently in a covered sauté pan with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of fresh butter, accepting that the domes will be slightly softer.

Advance Preparation

• •The turnips may be parboiled, hollowed, filled, and shaped up to 8 hours ahead. Arrange them in the cold sauté pan, cover, and refrigerate; let them stand out of the refrigerator for 20 minutes before adding the butter and completing the final cooking.
• •The turnip pulp and potato may be prepared separately up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated in covered containers. Warm them gently before weighing and combining, then dry the mixture as directed so the filling holds its dome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 330g)