Have you ever tasted a turnip? Hey now, don’t turn up your nose at me (get it?). I promise, they’re really quite good. I had only tried them once or twice before as part of a root vegetable gratin, so when I found the bunch of turnips in my Agritopia CSA basket, I wondered what to do with them.
Turnips are high in vitamin C, fiber and potassium, and have a bit of a bite. That’s why I decided to pair them with sweet potatoes, to kind of take the edge off. I added scallions from the CSA share for some color and a bit of onion flavor, then an egg and some all-purpose gluten-free flour. Of course you could use regular flour if you’re not gluten-free. The result was a savory pancake with just a touch of sweetness and a satisfying crunch.
The pancakes in the photo were pan fried in grapeseed oil. I also tried doing a lower-fat version by baking the pancakes. The baked pancakes were just as delicious, minus the browned crust. Try these turnip and sweet potato pancakes as a side dish or an appetizer. You could enjoy the leftovers in the morning under a fried egg.
- 3 turnips, trimmed, peeled and diced
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup scallions (green part only) plus 1 Tbsp. reserved for garnish
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup all purpose gluten-free flour (I used Cup4Cup)
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil (optional for frying)
- ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper
- In a large saucepan, cook the turnips and sweet potato for 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Remove from water and let cool in a large mixing bowl.
- Mash turnips and sweet potato with a fork, then stir in scallions, egg and flour.
- For frying: Heat grapeseed oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add ¼ cup turnip-potato mixture to the pan and flatten with back of the measuring cup. Cook 3-4 minutes per side until browned. Remove and let cool on a paper towel lined plate.
- For baking: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and measure out ¼ cup turnip-potato mixture onto parchment paper, flattening into a patty with back of measuring cup. Bake 15 minutes per side.
So how about it? Ever tried a turnip?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I love turnips! I just recently posted about making turnip fries–they are delicious.
Your combo of turnips and sweet potatoes sound very intriguing–two ingredients I enjoy all the time, but have never put together. Can’t wait to try this!
LOVE this – I keep getting turnips in my CSA share and running out of ideas. They are also terrific roasted (taste away that sharp flavor.)
Have I ever tried a turnip? Now I’m not sure. Hmmm.
I admire that you serve such a wide variety of foods to your family. Do your kids like these pancakes too?
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