Rutabaga Potato Mash

Certain family members are set in their ways, refusing to eat certain foods because they either don’t know what they are or had them once, usually years ago and didn’t like them.

Then comes Thanksgiving – an opportunity for progress, a time to introduce a new food here and there and make some change. No, it’s not always successful. The banana sweet potato combo didn’t fly a few years back. Another year I was told I ruined the entire meal altogether. In hindsight, there may have been too many foreign foods that time around, and I interfered with too many “traditions.”

Regardless, I continue on this tireless crusade anyway, reminding myself that these family dinners are only an occasional happening these days. And introducing new foods can actually be quite simple.

I’ve served this extraordinarily easy rutabaga and potato mash at several holiday dinners now and, though I hate to play the “gotcha” game, almost no one notices the rutabaga unless I tell them. They think they’re eating delicious potatoes.

The rutabaga, peeled, roughly chopped, boiled, and mashed at the same ratio to potato, adds a depth and earthiness that most mashed potatoes alone lack. People love them. It’s usually at that point that I tell them the reason why they love them is the rutabaga. Surprise! You like this fairly unpopular root vegetable, and you didn’t even know.

If health factors are a motivator to start incorporating rutabaga into your mashed potatoes or any of your cooking, you’ll be happy to know that they’re full of antioxidants, fiber, zinc, and more.