Talk about life not being fair. This poor veggie falls quite short on looks, no way to sugar coat that pill. But to add insult to injury, someone decided to name it rutabaga. I mean, c’mon! “Go to sleep now, or the rutabaga will come and get you!” No wonder most people don’t even look at them at the grocery store. My friend Denise tells me that in England they are called swedes, a much more poetic name. I was intrigued, so a quick stroll through Wikipedia-Land brought the light at the end of the tunnel: the name has its roots in old Swedish. Rotabagge from rot (root) + bagge (short, stumpy object). so swede would be a natural choice to name these ugly ducklings. Call it swede, rutabaga, white turnip, or snadger (yeah, that too), this recipe is absolute perfection. I still cannot believe that two ingredients (sliced swedes and butter) plus a little seasoning could result in such a perfect side-dish. Pretty easy on the eyes too. So, get over their funky looks and unfortunate name. Bring them home, get slicing and cooking… Did I mention it is reasonably low-carb?
RUTABAGAS ANNA
(slightly modified from Ketogasm)
2 small rutabagas, thinly sliced
½ stick of butter
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice rutabaga thinly using a mandolin or knife. Reserve the sliced rutabaga in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add thyme to melted butter and let it gently simmer for a couple of minutes.
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Pour the melted butter herb mixture over the sliced rutabaga. Ensure the slices are evenly coated by rubbing them all with the butter using your hands. Gloves work wonders here…
Arrange and layer the rutabaga slices, dividing among the muffin tins, larger slices at the bottom, overlapping smaller slices on top. Drizzle any remaining butter over your rutabaga little towers. Cover the muffin tin with foil.
Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil. Continue baking uncovered for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden and crispy.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: I found this recipe over at Ketogasm, a blog that is new to me. Being a huge fan of Potatoes Anna, but rarely indulging in it, I thought that this version with a lower-carb root veggie could be worth trying. We both loved it. The rutabaga gets very creamy, with the crusty edges offering a nice contrast, very similar to the authentic Anna. I don’t usually like to mess with classics, but there’s really nothing bad to say about this version. My only recommendation is to add more slices to the muffin tin than you think you’ll need. The little towers collapse a lot during baking. Next time I’ll start with three rutabagas and make 6 individual portions. We love our leftovers, and I am not finicky about warming up in the microwave for my lunch next day. If you’d like to serve these for company, do the first step of baking, covered, and reserve. Twenty minutes before serving, finish them uncovered. They keep warm for quite some time. You can add different spices, perhaps. Smoked paprika sounds great, maybe a little cumin for a Southwest flair. Great side dish, satisfying without being too heavy.
Note to self: Try alternating slices of rutabaga and sweet potatoes,
I bet it could look and taste wonderful too!
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ONE YEAR AGO: The Ultimate Raspberry Sorbet
TWO YEARS AGO: Crispy Cornmeal Sweet Potato Fries
THREE YEARS AGO: Pan-grilled Tilapia with Smoked Paprika & Avocado Cream
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Bewitching Kitchen 
I’m not even sure if we have rutabagas out here (well, we probably do, but I just never paid attention) but I’m going to have to hunt them down to try this recipe. I may be the last person on earth who hopes the carb hating fad passes (remember when butter was evil?), but these still look very tasty and just may get me to try this poor veggie =) Pinned!!!
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I hope you find them and try them… and I would never post a low carb recipe if it was not full of flavor and with great texture… what’s the joy? 😉
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Especially since I rarely eat potatoes, what a lovely way to present the humble but beautiful swede! Well, that is what we call it in Australia also and, especially in winter, they are found in every supermarket and at every greengrocer ! But being Estonian-born I do know it as ‘rutabaga’ which, to me is a lovely name. Speaking mostly phonetic European languages I think perhaps your 🙂 ‘problem’ 🙂 with the word may lie with pronunciation : one says ‘roo-tah-baa-gah’ . . . Sally, it most happily trips off my tongue . . .
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Indeed, how we “view” words has a lot to do with our native languages, isn’t it? Rutabaga has a hard time tripping off my tongue… 😉
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Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
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thanks for sharing…
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To be, these are parsnips, which I don’t think is a very inspiring name…I think rutabaga sounds SO much better! Almost poetic 🙂
And the way you’ve cooked them looks fab, far tastier than any parsnip dish I’ve ever eaten xx
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My apologies, Elaine, but parsnips look like pale white/brown carrots: long and slinky – these are large and round . . . I honestly did not realize swedes/rutabagas were not an everyday vegetable in the US as they are here in Oz and in Europe. ! And parsnips and swedes have totally different tastes . . . methinks your greengrocer will agree . . . 🙂 !!
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When I posted on my blog about parsnips (the long white carrot shaped veg as you mentioned) people called them rutabagas too…hence my confusion…however, either way, I just like the word rutabaga 🙂
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Actually, so do I !!! Now, shall we just wonder how Sally would pronounce it in Spanish . . . and not ‘quite’ like 🙂 !!! US ‘English’ and Australian ‘English’ definitely have ‘differences’ – I remember talking about a ‘punnet’ of plant seedlings and no one in the States knew what I was on about [sorry about grammar!!!] . . . the famous one naturally is about our wearing ‘thongs’ most of the year . . . and this definitely has nought to do with underwear!!!
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Ha ha ha!!! The joys of language! 😀😀😀
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I can make a sound file for you of me saying rutabagas three times fast…. NO! I won’t 😉 As Elaine knows, I am quite self conscious of my accent, and only do sound files for the blog in Portuguese…
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Eha, not sure you’ve visited Elaine’s blog, but let me tell you, I like to call her the Veggie Goddess, she is a magician with all kinds of veggies, and between you and me, I’ve been insisting that she considers writing a cookbook, because contrary to me and most bloggers I follow, she only posts recipes she herself designs, and they go way beyond the sautee this with that 😉
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Darling Sally – have been subscribed for quite awhile [probably learning about Elaine from your posts!] and love them even if I do not always get around to giving her a hug!!!] And looking at your A one up: just take care I do not send YOU a sound file [help!!!! going at a hundred kms an hour . . . no way do I know how!!!!] ’cause I also have an accent but can go awfully fast!!!!!!
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I really loved the presentation, amazing what a little slicing, a little arranging can do, right?
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It’s all in the presentation 😀😀😀😀
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not that I would the “that vain”, you know…. 😉
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Indeed I do 😉
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I just discovered I like Rutabaga. It started when I mashed them as I would prepare mashed potatoes in order to accommodate a dinner guest with diabetes — all the guests said they liked it better than mashed potatoes! And remember that spiralizer thing — after ODing on your spiralized butternut squash, I did spiralized root vegetables with one russet, one yam and one rutabaga. The Anna is another good idea and an always welcome addition to the quest for good side dishes.
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I actually love the taste of rutabaga… and welcome the absence of feeling super bloated after enjoying it. I rarely eat mashed potatoes, maybe only if someone makes it in a dinner party or something. Now, mashed sweet potatoes I cannot resist..,
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This is so exciting! I never know what to do with rutabagas and I get a ton in my CSA. Yay!!
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Awesome! I hope you try this!
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Oh these are beautiful, I think I would prefer these to regular potatoes Anna!
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Heeheeh, yup certain veggies have a bit of a PR issue to overcome but then, humility’s always a good thing ;-). These are so darn cute! Bet they taste delicious too.
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Ah, the oft-forgotten rutabaga. I served it for Thanksgiving a number of years ago and no one seated had ever tried it prior to that meal. They all loved it and it became a staple for that annual celebration. I love how easy your recipe is to prepare and quick. Making individual servings is always a plus for me, too. I may have found a new way to serve rutabaga this Thanksgiving. Thanks, Sally.
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John – ever tried saying it was a ‘swede’ ? Or just not naming ’em and letting everyone enjoy 🙂 ?
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I am so trying this!!! 🙂 What a lovely recipe!
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