One evening I was looking through Julia Child's The Way to Cook and came on this recipe. We had turnips, leftover ham.potatos and eggs which needed using ; I resolved the make this the very next day for supper. It was absolutely delicious and made me feel ever so thrifty.
Ham
- 1 1/3 cups diced, cooked ham
- 2 tablespoons butter
Poach the eggs and set in cold water; just before serving, place them in a pan of lightly salted simmering water for 1 minute to reheat.
For a quick lesson on poaching eggs, take a look at this offering on Rouxbe.com
Turnip Cakes
- 2 large white turnips
- 1 russet baking potato, the same size as one of the turnips
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Just before sauteing them, grate the turnips and the potato, then twist them in a clean towel to extract as much liquid as you can. You should have about 3 cups after squeezing out the liquid. To prevent discoloration, blend these ingredients in a bowl with the cream and egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Film a large heavy pan with butter or oil, and set over moderately high heat. Quickly form 4 cakes about 1/8-inch thick in the hot pan. Lower the heat to moderate, cover the pan, and cook slowly for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom. Turn the cakes carefully, cover the pan and cooker 5 minutes more on the other side.
Reheat the ham and the eggs. Serve the cakes on hot plates, garnished with a spoonful of diced ham, topped with a poach egg and, if you like, a pinch of parsley.
The homemade ketchup on the side gave the dish just the right amount of spice to enliven the sweetness of the ham and turnip. I 'm betting that even people who think they don't like turnips would like this.
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