Herbed Butternut Squash and Turnip Gratin

Thanksgiving tables are almost always adorned with a variety of potato dishes. Rather than preparing potatoes au gratin I looked for a combination of those fall vegetables that bring the flavor and satiation that potatoes would give in a dish like this. What I came up with is a savory take on butternut squash, which has been combined with the ordinary turnip to bring it to new heights. Reminiscent of a sweet potato dish, this recipe gives you all that you are looking for without being laden with carbohydrates. And coming in at a modest 7.5 grams net carbohydrates per serving you can certainly enjoy this dish guilt free. Sure to please a crowd. I hope you enjoy.

Herbed Butternut Squash and Turnip Gratin

Ingredients:

3 cups turnips, peeled and sliced 1/8" thick

3 cups butternut squash, peeled and sliced 1/8" thick

1 Tb. unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tsp. rosemary, finely minced

1/2 tsp. ground sage

1 tsp. thyme, chopped fine

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

vegetable spray

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400'

Both the turnips and the butternut squash can be easily peeled with a vegetable peeler. Trim the top and bottom of the turnips. Cut the turnips into 1/8" thick slices. Boil the turnips for 3 to 4 minutes, drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside.

Peel the butternut squash. Carefully cut in half lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out of the squash and set aside. (You can clean and roast them later for a snack.) Cut the squash into 1/8" slices and cut the longer slices in half or to about the same size as the turnip slices.

In a small bowl combine the garlic, rosemary, ground sage and thyme with the softened butter to make a paste. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

To build the gratin begin by lightly coating the bottom and sides of a medium sized au gratin casserole dish or a 9" by 9" casserole with the vegetable spray. Make a single layer of butternut squash by shingling them. Dot the top with a little of the herbed butter, add a few tablespoons of the cream and sprinkle with a bit of parsley. Shingle the turnips next and dot with the herbed butter, add a few tablespoons of cream and sprinkle with a bit of parsley. Repeat this process until the vegetables are used. Pour the rest of the heavy cream across the top. Gently shake pan to make sure the cream is distributed on the bottom.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the cream has been absorbed. The top should be golden brown with darker brown spots. Let rest 10 minutes to set.

Nutrition Facts
10 - 1/2 Cup Servings

Amount Per Serving
Calories 130.0
Total Fat 10.1 g
Saturated Fat 6.2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.9 g
Cholesterol 35.7 mg
Sodium 38.5 mg
Potassium 276.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 10.1 g
Dietary Fiber 2.6 g
Sugars 1.5 g
Protein 1.5 g