There are root vegetables that not only have I never cooked before, but I’ve also never tasted before. Shocking, I know.

Two examples are rutabagas and turnips. I have never had them or felt the need to have them either. But when I was given a bag of each, well, I wasn’t going to throw them away.

One of the visiting instructors at Les Gourmettes Cooking School had a family emergency and needed to reschedule her classes. It happens, no problem, except that owner, Barbara Fenzl, had already purchased all the groceries. I was the lucky recipient of the produce. I was excited and especially grateful for the watermelon radishes, broccolini and beets because I use those on the Crudités Harmony Boards. I was still grateful but much less excited with the rutabagas, turnips, and parsnips.

As far as root vegetables go, I prefer to stick to potatoes and radishes. I don’t’ like carrots and despise beets. Parsnips are okay, but the rest I happily pass by. So I decided to treat the trio as I do potatoes.  I peeled, chopped, boiled, and mashed them. Then seasoned them up and spooned them in a casserole, baked, and then finished it off with some cheese on top.

I’ve eaten the resulting dish for two nights in a row with sliced tomatoes and basil and you know what? Not bad, not bad at all!

If you don’t own a hand masher, you should get yourself one, while you’re at be sure it is a double-action masher, here’s a Link.

This is the last of my Easter brunch recipes. The real reason I made these was so that I could use the adorable green mini Le Creuset Petite Cocotte (little Dutch ovens) that my kids gave me for Christmas several years ago. The green was the perfect pop of color for my Easter table.

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These bacon and olive-based appetizers aren’t the prettiest plate on the table but with their hint of curry, they are sure to be the most popular!

Many thanks to Barbara Fenzl, who demonstrated this recipe in her classes last month at Les Gourmettes. She agreed to let me share them with you.

Bonus  –  They are so Easy-Breezy!

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