Turnip & Sweet Potato Pancakes

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.

Turnip & Sweet Potato Pancakes

Pan fried or baked, these are a great way to use root veggies!

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Course Appetizer, Vegetable

Ingredients

  

• 3 turnips trimmed, peeled and diced
• 1 sweet potato peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup scallions green part only plus 1 Tbsp. reserved for garnish
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup all purpose gluten-free flour I used Cup4Cup
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil optional for frying
• 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper

Instructions

 

• 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 1/4 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 1/4 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?