Cider-Glazed Root Vegetables

I've always thought rutabagas were turnips when I saw them in the grocery store, and I never even knew the term "rutabaga" until a week ago. Curious of how to cook it and how it would taste like, I bravely purchased one while it was on sale, and it sat in my fridge for a good week before I decided I ought to eat it, lest it gets bad quickly.

Source: The Golden Table

During the same grocery trip, I also got some sweet potatoes, and I thought, 'Hey, I know a recipe that would be good for these!' I actually found it quite a while back, and never had any cider (the juice, not the alcohol) to make it with, nor more than two kinds of root vegetable; I usually only have potatoes and carrots on hand. 

So I tried it out with rutabaga, sweet potato and carrot, and it was quite interesting. Here is the recipe I adapted.

Before baking. The after picture looks exactly the same.

Cider-Glazed Root Vegetables (makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:
- 1/2 large rutabaga
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 large carrot
- 2/3 cup apple cider (the dark juice)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- pinch of salt & pepper
- cinnamon to taste

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Peel vegetables if necessary, cut into 1-inch chunks.
3. Combine cider, sugar and salt in a bowl, mix until the sugar dissolves.
4. Pour liquid into baking dish and add vegetables in a single layer. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Uncover and sprinkle on cinnamon. I used 3 pinches. Stir vegetables.
6. Cover again and bake for 30 minutes
7. Serve hot or cold.

When I tried this, I actually made a mistake -- the original recipe calls for baking it uncovered after the first stirring. This is why I did not get a glaze, but it was very tasty regardless. If you want to try the original recipe, then simply uncover the dish and bake in 10 minutes intervals three times, stirring between each interval.

Rutabagas are quite different from what I expected. I thought it would have the same texture as cooked daikon radish, but it was actually potato-y and had a strong taste. I don't like it that much, but it's not bad either.

I know people would normally eat this king of thing as a side-dish, but the sweetness makes it a delicious, healthy dessert! Vegetables for dessert... It was yummy cold as well, and I kept it for 4 days before finishing it all. A great treat!

Stay tuned, a restaurant review is coming up next time!