Mashed Rutabaga

Rutabaga is an inexpensive root vegetable with half the calories and half the carbohydrates of potatoes, which makes it a great Paleo substitute for potatoes. I first discovered Rutabaga at my friend Andrea's annual Friendsgiving celebration, and was surprised that I had never tasted the root vegetable before. Andrea served mashed rutabaga which is similar in taste and consistency to mashed potato. Some people even mistook it for mashed potato. I had never thought to make rutabaga myself until I embarked on my 6 week Paleo challenge. I must say that the challenge is inspiring me to cook vegetables in new ways to keep them exciting.

Please note that rutabaga does take about twice as long as potatoes to cook. I am currently diary free, but feel free to add cheese to the rutabaga if you like. I served the mashed rutabaga with chicken cooked in a butter and sherry sauce, and I liked how the rutabaga soaked up the extra sauce.

Have you tried rutabaga before? How do you like to prepare it?

Serves: 4
Total Time: about 1 hour

You will need:
1 Rutabaga
1 tablespoon Butter
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Pepper

Step 1:
Peel the rutabaga. This is a little tricky since the skin of the rutabaga is waxy and slippery. You can either use a potato peeler, like I did, or use a sharp knife to slice off the skin.

Step 2:
Chop the potato into about 2 inch chunks. Your chopping doesn't need to be neat since you will be mashing the rutabaga once it is cooked.

Step 3:
Place the chopped rutabaga in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Then boil the rutabaga for 45 minutes, or until soft.

Step 4:
Drain the rutabaga, and place in a bowl. Add the butter, salt, and pepper. Mash with a potato masher. If the rutabaga is dry, add a couple tablespoons of vegetable broth.