Rosemary Rutabaga Fries

By mamapig

Now that we all know what rutabaga is, we can think about all the wonderful things we can do with it. These "fries," which are actually baked, are a tasty little side dish, and by changing the flavorings they can take on any number of different identities.

Ingredients

• 1 rutabaga
• olive oil
• fresh rosemary, minced
• garlic, minced
• salt, hot sauce to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Peel the rutabaga and cut it in 1/2" x 1'2" spears. Steam about 12 minutes in a steamer basket until just tender. Dry the spears with paper towels and then toss with a scant amount of olive oil, the garlic and the rosemary.

Lay the rutabaga spears out in a single layer (ideally with none of the spears touching each other) on a jelly roll pan and bake in a preheated 400º oven about 25 minutes, turning once. Place them under the broiler for a few minutes, watching closely, to finish browning them. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Note: other flavoring suggestions.

1. "Indian." Omit garlic and rosemary. After cooking scatter on some garam masala (recipe below).

2. "Chinese." Omit garlic and rosemary. Before baking, toss the rutabaga spears in a mixture of hoisin sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger and five-spice powder.