Tasty Turnip Latkes

It is well and truly CSA season. And with the season comes knowledge that we have a lot of veggies to eat. Every year, Eli and I figure things out a little more quickly. I think we’ve got it down now; when we make our list on Sunday morning we make sure to include something (or multiple somethings) from the share for every meal.

Last night it was turnips. I love the spring turnips we got a couple of weeks ago. They are lovely, little darlings. About the size of hacky-sacks, maybe 1 1/2″ to 2″ in diameter. Because they are harvested early in the season, they are milder than the bigger turnips we’ll get later. They are very tasty fried up like the traditional pan-fried potatoes my mom used to make when I was little. And towards the end of the season, we’ve been known to use them in baked strata, like au gratin but with turnips in place of potatoes.

But last night, we wanted something a little different. You may be sensing a trend here, but we turned to the potato again for inspiration and decided to make turnip latkes. They were so simply to pull together, but absolutely delicious. The turnips brought a complexity of flavor you just can’t get from a potato. We also threw in some surprisingly sweet yellow onion and whole wheat pastry flour. I just can’t resist exchanging whole wheat pastry flour for all-purpose when cooking; it adds a delightful nuttiness to my recipes and makes things just a little bit better for me. An egg, salt, and fresh ground pepper rounded out a very easy recipe. The only thing that took time was frying them up in my cast-iron skillet. Next time I think I’ll use the two-burner griddle. I’ll probably have them done in about half the cooking time.

Served with a dollop of plain yoghurt on each latke and a sprinkling of slivered garlic scapes, these are divine!

Tasty Turnip Latkes

inspired by Deb’s recipe for potato pancakes at Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

• about six 1 1/2″ – 2″ spring turnips
• about 3.5 ounces sweet yellow onion (I used about half of a medium onion, but if you have a small onion of this weight, use the whole thing)
• one quarter cup whole wheat pastry flour
• one large egg
• one large pinch salt (sorry I can’t more exact, but that’s what I did! You can try about 1/2 tsp if you need to measure, then salt them after you cook them if it’s not enough)
• one small pinch fresh ground black pepper
• oil for frying (I used olive oil because it’s what I had around, but use any oil you prefer, or even butter!)
• garnish: yoghurt, sliced garlic scape, or whatever you desire

Equipment

• One medium mixing bowl
• One grater
• cutting board and knife
• skillet or griddle

What to do

1. Grate your turnips. Then squeeze out as much liquid as you can. I usually put them in two layers of paper towels and wring. Works like a charm. Put your grated turnips in your mixing bowl.
2. Slice your onion fine. Then cut your slices to about 1″ long. You should end up with thin onion slices that are around the size of your turnip gratings. Neat! Put them in your bowl, too.
3. Add the flour, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
4. Over medium heat, heat oil on your frying surface (skillet or griddle).
5. When a drop of water dances on the pan (or however else you decide that it’s ready), place mixture on pan in rounds about 3 1/2″ to 4″ in diameter.
6. Cook until brown on one side, about 2 minutes or so, then flip and cook the other side.
7. If cooking in batches, keep warm in the oven set low or in the toaster oven set at about 200-250°.
8. Serve warm with your chosen garnish. We loved them with plain yoghurt and sliced garlic scapes.

Enjoy!