Root Veg

Adapted from page 435 of "The Joy of Cooking": Winter Root Vegetable Braise.

This differs considerably from the Joy recipe, mainly because my cooking method was in the oven instead of on the stove. As always, do it your way! I will let you know the essentials to making a dish taste good. Also, I don't follow measurements very carefully, because who knows how much is a pound of turnips? So again, do it your way. Because I know y'all know how to cook.

INGREDIENTS

root vegetables (I used parsnips, potatoes, japanese yams, and onions)
garlic
butter, olive oil
herbs
white wine
chicken stock
flour
cream
dijon mustard
chopped parsley
s&p

PROCEDURE

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut vegetables as you wish. I cut large pieces. Place in a baking dish. Add 2-4 T butter, and some olive oil. Include about 4 whole cloves of garlic (no need to peel! I love that!)

Shove some herbs in there. I used fresh tarragon, dried thyme, and a bay leaf. Oh, and some dried dill.

Bake until sort of bubbling/sizzling but not burning, about 10-15 minutes.

Stir. Add 1/4 c wine. Stir. Cook until alcohol cooks off. Stir in 1 T flour.

Add 2 - 2 1/2 c. chicken stock. Stir. Bake about 20-35 minutes. Cooking time totally depends on your baking dish, oven, amount of veg, etc. You know this. You want the veg to be tender. This is great if it turns out like a meatless stew.

When looking good (I mean the dish, not you. Of course, you may be looking real good by now if you are drinking the wine. Whatever!), reduce heat to 310F. Combine 3 T cream + 1 T dijon mustard with chopped parsley. Add to pot. Stir. Cook about 5 minutes. Taste & add salt & pepper to taste.

It's done!

Truly, you could make this dish countless different ways. Honestly, it's the flour thickener and the cream/mustard/parsley that really make it. If you skip that, you are making something different.

Bon appetit!

P.S. Still taking contestants on the turnip butt pun contest.