It’s always exciting when the first crops of spring-grown vegetables make their way to the farm stands, and this week’s delight was the tender, sweet Hakurei turnips. These mild turnips are nothing like the turnips I grew up with, which were larger, with extremely strong flavor, and could be unpleasantly bitter, especially the tops. Plus, when cooking, they tended to make the whole (very small) house smell like turnips, not in a good way. Almost as bad as their cousin Brussels sprouts.
My father didn’t like them, so even though they were as cheap as the dirt they tasted like, mom seldom made them, at least for a family dinner. When they were in season, she might steam some up and marinate them in a dressing, heavy on the acid and sugar, and almost a quick pickle. I didn’t mind them that way, but dad was still not a fan. I think mom had to put them on the opposite end of the table away from him.
New to the scene
But times have changed, and the turnips we usually buy now in general have been bred to be milder in flavor, and are usually picked smaller, thus less bitter. The sweet little Hakurei turnips were developed just after WWII in Japan, and I have no idea when they first made their way to the U.S. However, in recent years, they have secured a place as a spring and summer staple at all the local farm stands and farmers markets throughout the country.
And they are good for you too!
High in fiber, and loaded with vitamins and minerals, especially if you include the greens, Hakurei turnips, often called Japanese turnips, are quick cooking, low in calories, and are great in a wide variety of dishes. They are even tasty raw, chopped up in salads, and the best thing is that every inch of them is edible from root to tips of the tops.
Quick to cook, simple too
Whether steamed, boiled, roasted, grilled, or raw, there are endless possibilities using these turnips, and this week I decided to pair them with baby potatoes and add a lemony mustard sauce. Both the roots and the greens were used, no peeling necessary. Definitely a quick, simple, and delicious keeper recipe!
Toss in some fresh chives, and you are all set, and when all is said and done, the house will still smell sweet.
Hakurei Turnips and Baby Potatoes with Mustard Sauce
- One bunch Hakurei turnips, greens and all
- Equal amount of new baby potatoes
- 1 onion, sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. butter or vegan butter
- ¼ cup grainy Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp. native honey
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- 2 tbsp. fresh minced chives
Cut the tops off the turnips, leaving an inch or so of the stem ends on the roots. These take a little longer to cook than the greens themselves, but we will use them all. Set the greens aside, and cut the turnips in half lengthwise.
The potatoes and turnips will cook in tandem. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold, salted water. Place a steamer insert with a tight-fitting lid on top and fill this with the trimmed turnips. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until tender, the time will vary, but start checking at 15 minutes. If you don’t have a saucepan with a steamer insert, you can simply steam the turnips separately.
Once the turnips are tender, remove to a bowl and cover to keep warm. Add the tops to the steamer. The potatoes and greens will probably be finished about the same time. When the potatoes are done, add to the bowl with the turnips.
While all this is happening, heat the oil and butter in a skillet and gently sauté the onion until it is soft and cooked through, seasoning with some salt and pepper. No need for color here. Add the mustard, honey, lemon zest and juice, and the chives, and mix well. Toss in the potatoes and turnips, season again not being shy with the pepper, and stir gently until everything is coated.
You can either add the tops directly to the mix, or serve alongside. If you serve alongside, give a little extra squeeze of lemon, and garnish all with more chives.
This is delicious hot or room temperature, and leftovers, if there are any, are even more flavorful the next day, in a very good way.
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I never think of buying or eating turnips but your Hakurei Turnips with potatoes and mustard sauce just might change my mind! 😀
Give them a try, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
Looks delicious so I’ll have to look and see if I can find them. My grandmother would mash potatoes and turnips together, add a little butter, and I was a happy farm child.
I bet that helped tame then!
Thank you, Dotothy, for the dish that is no doubt, tsy as is beautiful!
Joanna
Thank you! It was really delicious!
I guess it’s time to give them another chance. I remember playing outside as a kid. The entire neighborhood stunk with an offensive odor. I got home for supper and my mother was serving it. 😱
Oops! I know the feeling! That’s why dad hated them I think!
I have never had turnips! Your recipe does sound wonderful and looks so pretty~
Jenna
Well, Jenna, I think it is just about time you gave these little treats a try!
I will look for these Hakurei turnips. I like turnips every now and again but I’m in the minority.
These are quite different from what we’re used to, I think you’ll enjoy them Jan.
As a child I wasn’t a fan of turnips and they are not a vegetable I buy even to this day …Your dish sounds delicious and apparently the seeds are available here and the growing time to maturity is about 1 month plus the taste as you have stated is far nicer than the turnips my mother served as a child 🙂
They are a whole different experience Carol! Both the roots and the greens not only grow quickly, but cook quickly as well.
Yummmy can’t wait to try them x
🌞
I am always as immersed in the beauty of how you plate it (and the plate of course!) as well as the food itself. Another lovely sounding fusion.
Thanks Suz! That’s very nice to hear. I try to present my dishes to get folks excited about what they are about to receive!
I haven’t see Hakurei turnips yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to having them, as I love adding them to soups.
I like the way you’ve prepared them here. They do love mustard, and so do I! 🙂
Thanks Ronit! Where would we be without mustard in the world!
I love turnips and their greens and this looks amazing. A dose of Autumn in the Spring.
Yes, it is! We will have these most all summer long as the farmers here keep a succession of them coming along.
Very nice, looks great
Thanks Charlie! It’s good to see the veggies coming in again, well, other than roots!
This has my mouth watering for such goodness!
Thank you! We’ll see these here most of the summer and again in the fall.
Can’t find the Hakurie turnip in Australia, Dorothy. However the turnip I found is advertised as having a ‘mildly sweet and peppery flavour’. It has a slightly pinkish top and looks similar to swede, which I find too strong for my taste. I’ll try some of the smaller ones with your recipe. You never know – they may be super duper!
They sound like they might do the trick!
Wow, Dorothy, the flavours, the many different yet beautifully melding flavours of this dish were/are very surprising. I ate two bowls full, I couldn’t stop at one. 😉 😉
A keeper… 😍
So glad you enjoyed this one! It was a hit here too, even with the 12-year-old granddaughter!
I’ll look for these little turnips, Dorothy. I know what you’re saying about the milder flavors. We see this with kale and spinach also. I like the idea of the mustard sauce. You have so many recipes that have a different twist to the ways I make things – the same for decades. Thank you for sharing. You’re such a good cook.
I will have to look for them. They almost look like white radishes.
We have a Japanese supermarket in our neighborhood, but haven’t seen these. Will aks for them. The dish looks delicious!
I have always liked turnips and their greens. I have had the little Hakurei turnips and as you say they are milder. Nice way of preparing them.
Thank you so much Karen! We all enjoyed them this way.
This looks delicious Dorothy. Wish I liked turnips!
Ah, but these are even better than turnips!
This sounds lovely. My dad loved turnip greens with little baby turnip roots, with a side of cornbread.
I bet he would have enjoyed this dish. It sounds delicious.
Thank you so much! My memories of turnips were not so lovely!
Southern turnips are developed for their greens, not the roots. My mother-in-law served turnips once and I was just shocked. Her idea of turnips were the large roots and didn’t match my idea of turnips at all! I did eat them, being a polite Southern girl and knowing she made them just for me since I happened to mention I liked turnips.
Ha ha! That’s a good story!
I love potatoes, so this is my kind of dish! 🙂 And I don’t think I’ve ever made anything with turnips, so it would be great to try!
If you can find them, they are a treat.
How do you suggest reheating the leftovers of this dish? Thank you!
I would tuck them in a warm oven, 300 degrees, for 15 minutes or so, or even warm in the microwave. They are quite delicious reheated.