There’s a lovely balance in this autumn side dish between the sweet pears and the, well, not-so-sweet turnips, and between the floral honey and the piney rosemary. These would be especially good nestled next to a braised lamb shank or a piece of pot roast. If you want to follow this same technique for sweet potatoes (instead of the turnips), consider adding a little lime or lemon juice to the honey-rosemary butter. 

Serves 3

  • 3 medium purple-topped turnips (14 to 15 ounces), unpeeled, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch dice
  • 1 firm but ripe Bosc pear (about 7 ounces), unpeeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a large (18-by-13-by-1-inch) heavy-duty rimmed sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper.

2. In a mixing bowl, toss the turnips and pears with the vegetable oil and salt. Spread out the turnips and pears in one layer on the sheet pan. Roast, flipping with a spatula once or twice during cooking if you like, until the turnips are tender when pierced with a paring knife or spatula, 25 to 30 minutes (the turnips will be brown on some sides, the pears will be a bit darker).

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the honey and rosemary. Simmer for a few seconds and remove from the heat.

4. Transfer the cooked turnips and pears to a mixing bowl and drizzle the butter mixture over all, scraping all of the mixture out of the saucepan. Toss well and transfer to a serving dish.

The following recipe was originally published with the article, Quick-Roasting Veggies.