The forgotten and maligned rutabaga.
Who doesn’t love fries? Even though I avoided them before going low-carb, I was saddened by the thought of never eating them. I devoted myself to discovering a substitute and stumbled upon the taste and nutritional merits of the lowly rutabaga.
Rutabagas are delicious and cheap low-carb veggies that are often overlooked. They evolved from a cross between turnips and cabbages and as such are cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. Due to their waxy skin and slightly sulfurous scent, and taste if overcooked, they are held in disdain by some.
I use them often in place of potatoes in stews, curries, and soups. I also mash them like potatoes and add cheese and cream. One of my favorite preparations comes courtesy of my grandmother and is called rutmush. Traditionally, it is a mixture of potatoes and rutabagas, but since my low-carb revelation, I have substituted cauliflower when I got the craving.
Even my veggie hating husband loved them.
This weekend, I made some delicious rutabaga fries in the oven. Roasting and salting cruciferous veggies concentrates the sugars and reduced the bitter taste that some find abhorrent. These were eaten too fast to take pics and even my veggies hating husband loved them.
I made these delights by cutting up two rutabagas into 1/2 inch wide strips. I steamed these for 10 minutes at which time the strips were tender when tested with a fork. I coated them in olive oil, and kosher salt. Then I baked them for 20 minutes at 450 degrees turning twice. When they started to brown, I raised the rack to the upper half of the over and broiled for five minutes. After they were removed from the oven, I sprinkled the fries with smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then I tasted to see if they needed more salt.
I proclaim these fries delicious!
Low-Carb Cookery 
