Cheesy Potato Rutabaga Bake

In a large pot of water, add 2 Tb. kosher salt, rutabaga, potato, 1 Tb. of the chopped sage, and garlic. Bring to boil and cook until rutabaga is fork tender (The reason to dice the rutabaga smaller than the potato is that it takes longer to cook. This way the potato and rutabaga should be fork tender at the same time).

Drain through a fine strainer so as not to loose the sage, and return to pan. Add 1 ts. of the remaining sage and mash with potato masher (not the ricer kind) leaving some small pieces.

Add butter and stir until melted. Slowly add cream a little at a time until desired creaminess. Add 1 ts. freshly ground black pepper (a must). Don't add any salt at this point because the Robusto is a salty cheese.

Stir in 2/3 of the grated cheese. Now taste for salt content and adjust accordingly. Spread evenly in a small casserole dish.

In a small container, mix the panko with the remainder of the cheese and sage. Put on top of potato mixture and pat down.

Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden and casserole is hot in the middle.

* Robusto cheese is a Dutch cheese that has the nutty salty sharpness of Parmesan and a touch of creaminess like cheddar. It melts great for applications like bruschetta and crostinis and is great alone on a cheese platter as well.

cook's notes

I have to admit I have avoided using the "ugly" vegetables like rutabaga, celery root, and so on like the plague. I wish I hadn't.

Because my husband loves mashed potatoes with everything, I wanted to make it healthier by using half vegetable while still having the same texture as mashed potatoes. I decided to try rutabaga and was so pleasantly surprised.

The sage and garlic are subtle but detectable and the addition of the slight differences in the color and texture make mashed potatoes so much more exciting.

Okay, so you're thinking this is not so much healthier! I know, but having the vegetable in this dish makes it so much easier to accept the cream and cheese.