Last week’s sharebox was red-bundle heavy, with big bunches of both globe radishes and scarlet turnips. The rads were beauties—perfect for slicing and snacking. The turnips probably would’ve been fantastic raw, too, but with cooler weather looming and foot surgery imminent, I was in the mood for comfort food.

So, yeah, I turned a humble, low-cal, high-potassium, great-for-you root into a shame-on-you, second-helping-please bowl of creamy, cheesy, earthy decadence. Oh well.

Scalloped Neeps & Tatties

Adapted from a 1996 Bon Appetit favorite, Scalloped Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Herbes de Provence. I’ve used the technique many times with straight potatoes, and it transfers beautifully to turnips, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, and even kohlrabi. The dish is great hot, but is just as tasty at room temp, so it’s perfect for a dinner (or even brunch) buffet. Serves six, and easily scales up to feed a horde. Leftovers keep well—in fact, this batch graced Friday night’s dinner of skirt steak and broccoli, supplemented a pre-apple-picking breakfast of eggs and sausage on Sunday, and shared a plate with grilled chicken on Tuesday. 

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5-6 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 lb potatoes, thinly sliced (I used a mandoline)
• 1 lb turnips, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400º.

In a pot large enough to accommodate the sliced vegetables, combine the first seven ingredients (everything up to the cheese). Bring to a simmer. Whisk in half the cheese until it’s melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the turnips and potatoes. Stir occasionally until the pot returns to a simmer.

Port the mixture into the baking dish, layering everything as evenly as you can.

Bake, covered with foil, for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about another 45 minutes, until the potatoes are good and tender and the liquid has thickened.

Dot the top with the remaining goat cheese, and return the dish to the oven for another 5 minutes.