This recipe by Gill Meller has to be one of the nicest things you can do with a turnip. By turnip we mean the large, orange-fleshed variety that some call swedes. We’re so busy cooking new things that we rarely do things again, but we’ve made an exception for this dish already. It goes without saying that you should use top quality sausages!
Wine Suggestion: This dish needs the comforting, warm spices of a Southern Rhone red with a good dollop of Grenache, some Syrah and possibly other varieties thrown in. Given the festive season we opened a bottle of Les Palliéres Racines Gigondas. Made by the Brunier’s of Domaine Vieux Télégraphe this is velvety and deep; a real treat.
Turnip with fried sausages, green peppercorns & Parmesan – serves 2
- 1 turnip (or swede), cut into 2cm cubes
- top quality sausages
- 50g butter
- 100ml double cream
- 50g Parmesan, grated
- 2-3 tsp green peppercorns in brine
Bring a large pot of salty water to the boil. Add the turnip and cook until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add a little bit of oil, then add the sausages and cook slowly until well browned on all sides and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Don’t be tempted to speed up this process.
When the turnip is tender, drain and leave in a colander to steam. Put the pot back over a low heat and add the butter and cream. When this is bubbling, return the turnip to the pan. Mash the turnip until smooth, then season generously with black pepper, salt and most of the Parmesan.
Spoon the turnip onto a platter, pile the sausages on top, scatter over the peppercorns and sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan.
(Original recipe from Time by Gill Meller, Quadrille, 2018.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 
Yum! Looks so good
Thanks Tanvi!