Sweet Potato and Turnip Hash

Yesterday was my husband's birthday.  Normally I cook at home for his birthday, and he treats me to a night of no cooking for mine.  Our CSA recently started, and we've been getting quite a bit of Hakurei turnips.  Turnips look similar to radishes, but have a much more mild taste.  They can be eaten raw or cooked, and the greens are excellent to eat too.  Turnips are a fantastic source of many minerals and nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin C, phosphorous and potassium.

Since we had another bunch I decided to add them to the sweet potato hash I was making to eat with our fish.  They added a wonderful texture, and I ended up with this delicious recipe!

Sweet Potato and Turnip Hash
serves 4

1 bunch turnips, cleaned and trimmed
1 sweet potato, peeled
1 celery stalk
1/2 red onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1/2 t cinnamon
salt & pepper to taste

Chop the turnips, sweet potato and celery into small, uniform pieces.

Add 2 T olive oil to a cast iron skillet (or similar frying pan) over medium high heat.  Meanwhile, add all of your veggies to a bowl and toss with salt, pepper and cinnamon.  I do this before adding to my pan so that everything is mixed together nicely and I don't have to do a lot of flipping and mixing in my skillet.  I don't know about you, but I'm messy and end up with tons of food all over my stovetop.  But, do as you wish.

I let it sit for about 5 minutes before I flipped the vegetables around.  You want the veggies to get soft, but also to get a nice carmelized color and crust on them.

I flipped every 5 minutes or so, and after 20 mintues my hash was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  Each time you flip, use your spatula to push the veggies down onto the pan.  You almost have to smoosh them (not too hard though, you're making a hash - not a mash!)

Serve with your favorite main dish (although I seriously could have eaten a whole bowl of just this!)  I also think this would be excellent as a breakfast, with a fried egg on top!

Are you a fan of turnips?  How do you like to eat them?

Enjoy!
XoXo,
Nicole