That Rutabaga Thing

That rutabaga thing turned out very well so I want to provide a more complete recipe. This recipe has elements from two recipes from Greene on Greens by Bert Greene: Bashed Neeps, which combine rutabagas and potatoes; and Rutabaga Scratch Backs, in which rutabagas and grits are baked together. The idea for the potato cake turns up in Cucina Fresca by Viana La Place and Evan Kleinman and Verdura by La Place.

Russets and Rutas (That Rutabaga Thing)

2 pounds each russet potatoes and rutabaga—slightly less after peeling and trimming
½ pound each cooked hominy grits and grated cheddar
1 tablespoon butter
2 or 3 eggs, beaten
salt, black pepper and paprika to taste
butter for the pan
3/4 cup nice crumbs

(Totally optional: if you have some cooked beans on hand, mash about ¾ cup for a middle layer. I used yin-yang beans from Purcell Mountain Farms)

Preheat oven to 350 and butter an 8-inch springform pan and coat lavishly with toasted crumbs. Peel and cut up the rutabaga and potatoes. Cook them (separately) in boiling salted water until very tender. Drain and allow to cool somewhat. Save the liquid for your next soup. Puree the rutabaga and mash or rice the potatoes. Mix together the mashed vegetables, butter, grits, cheese, beaten eggs and seasonings. Put half of the batter into the pan and smooth the top. If you are using beans, spread the beans in a thin layer over the potato-batter. Scrape the remaining potato-batter into the pan, smooth the top, and cover with remaining breadcrumbs and several shakes of paprika. Bake for about thirty minutes. Allow to cool before unmolding.

Can it possibly be Tuesday already? Then this must be for Sweetnicks! I really tried to photograph this for y’all, but no joy. Here’s a picture of Bert, though.