It is definitely fall here in Norway. It happened almost overnight - one minute I was hot and feeling foolish for bringing almost exclusively sweaters and fleece, and then I left for the weekend and came back to a drastically more colorful landscape and a crispy chill to the air. I'm not sure exactly how that happened, but it was certainly welcome because there is nothing I love better than fall. Cooler days, cozy sweaters, crunchy leaves - the whole shebang. And fall food is even better; pumpkins, cranberries, squash, apples, and all their hearty, autumn-inspired goodness are back in season!
And this past weekend, something happened that fulfilled all of my wildest fall stereotypes from my Wisconsin childhood to my beloved Pacific Lutheran University on the west coast - Eplefest (Apple fest)! A group of us trekked 7 kilometers to Gvarv, a small town close to Bø, and trekked back with packs full of produce - apples, vegetables, and, of course, some Telemark apple cider!
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| Apple cider! |
However, while the apple cider is divine and the apples have since become an apple pie (a delicious one at that), the pride of my Eplefest conquests was undoubtedly a vegetable I hadn't laid eyes on since my wonderful summer spent on an Oregon farm in the Willamette valley - a rutabaga. Now before you knock it, I wholeheartedly assure you that rutabaga is one of the most delicious vegetables, and that's not just my Swedish heritage speaking. It has a potato-like texture and a sweet, somewhat mild squash-y flavor. And I have been craving it ever since my first rutabaga tasting this summer. Anyways, I knew I had to showcase this rutabaga in the big way it deserved, so it became the star of this nouveau shepherd's pie, sitting atop other tender root vegetables in a cloud of vegetable heavenliness. Okay, maybe heavenliness is a bit excessive, but it was sure darn good.
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry lentils
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp oregano
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
dried thyme for garnish
For the mashed rutabaga topping:
1. Peel and cube the rutabaga, getting rid of all the hard root-like stem parts. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and the cubed rutabaga, and cook until the rutabaga is falling-apart tender.
2. Drain the rutabaga, reserving the cooking liquid, and place in a large bowl.
3. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil (maybe about a tablespoon or more, as desired) on the rutabaga and mash with a potato masher (or a fork if you're a poor international student) until the texture is creamy, adding small amounts of the reserved cooking liquid until the desired texture is reached. Set aside
For the filling:
1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until translucent and tender.
2. Add the potato and carrot and saute for a minute or two.
3. Add the remaining ingredients except for the thyme and let simmer for about ten minutes until the liquid is thick and gravy-like.
Assembly:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.
2. Pour the filling into any small baking dish (8 by 8 would probably work perfectly, but I didn't have that so I used an individual portion sized glass tupperware). Cover with a generous layer of mashed rutabaga, and sprinkle some thyme across the top (rosemary also works here). Bake for approximately 35 minutes - the shepherd's pie should be bubbly and browned around the edges and the top should be slightly browned as well.
Enjoy with a glass of warm apple cider!
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