Roasted Lemon Thyme Turnips

I am constantly looking to experiment with side dish recipes. However, I generally forget about the side dish because I am concentrating on the main dish (and the dessert of course!). I also make a lot of one dish meals. But enough with the excuses, I have an awesome and easy veggie side dish recipe for you guys!

In the winter, I crave soup, pasta, cream sauce, and anything else that will make me feel warm and full. In the summer, I love fresh, crisp vegetables that I can enjoy while sitting on a patio. When I went to my grandmother's house for dinner the other day, she had bought some turnips from the farmer's market. I had never eaten turnips before but I was up for the challenge of cooking them! My grandmother said that they are usually served mashed but, as I said before, I really like the feel of fresher vegetables in the summer so I decided to roasted them with onions and lemon juice.

I really liked the way they turned out! The texture reminded me of something between a carrot and a potato while the taste reminded me more of cauliflower. However you want to describe it, I dig it and plan on using them more often. The lemon and thyme gave the dish quite a strong tangy flavor. It went really well with the other side dish and main course I served (recipes will be coming later this week!). The only negative aspect of this dish is that it looks very boring with the white turnips and the white onions. When I made it again, I will at least garnish it with slices of lemon and larger sprigs of thyme. It might even be nice to throw in a nice green vegetable like asparagus, green beans, or Brussels sprouts!

If you're a turnip virgin like I was, give it up already and try these ;)

Roasted Lemon Thyme Turnips (6 servings)

• 6 turnips, cut into 2'' cubes
• 1/2 Vidalia onion, sliced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Toss the turnips and onions with the olive oil, lemon juice, and thyme. Place in a baking dish. 
3. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until tender.

I went to use dried thyme but my grandfather had some fresh in his garden!

it tastes a lot more exciting than it looks!