When I was very little girl, there was this show that used to come on the tv station Nickelodeon called ‘Allegra’s Window’. It was a very Muppet/Sesame-Street-esque show about a little girl puppet named Allegra that had these mild 3 year old problems (if those can even really exist) that she, her brother and best friend would spend the entire episode trying to solve and overcome. It was a pretty cute show and I still smile even when I think about it now. I don’t know why shows with puppet and human interactions like Allegra’s Window and the Muppets don’t seem to come on that much anymore on kid’s stations. Maybe they figure little kids of today in the age of the iPad and Wii don’t have the attention span of kids from the 90’s like me did- which i find to be kinda unfortunate. Moment of silence for Childhood Nostalgia.

Now onto the main point: what the heck does Allegra’s Window have to do with today’s recipe? Well believe it or not, the truth is that Allegra’s Window was the very first mention that I had of the vegetable rutabaga. Honest, it was. One of the puppets in Allegra’s town was a zany, goofy kind of chef  puppet called Mr. Cook. It’s been nearly 20 years, so naturally I don’t remember a whole lot from the show, but the one thing that I do still recall is that the only ingredient that Mr. Cook ever wanted to cook with was rutabagas. He was legit always trying to shove a dish of rutabagas into Allegra and her friends faces, to which they would always squeal and yell in disgusted protest. Because apparently for little kids rutabagas are…not very tasty. I know it sounds crazy you guys, but the truth is that for twenty years, Allegra’s Window has successfully put me off ever wanting to have anything to do with rutabaga- which is crazy because anyone who knows me knows that I’m a vegetable-addict. There’s little to nothing I won’t try…except rutabagas (and peas. Don’t ever ask me to have anything to do with peas. It’s just not gonna happen.)

Whenever I saw rutabagas anywhere, I always remembered Mr. Cook and his nasty looking dishes of rutabaga and turned my nose up at it. So I guess that’s really saying something about the power of television over our minds.

….Yeah, I know. I’m weird. Moving on.

About a month ago, I was having dinner at my grandparent’s house and my grandma offered me this orangey-looking mashed dish that she’d made as a side. When I asked her what it was, she said that it was mashed rutabaga.

Duh- duh- duhhn!

I knew that I’d avoided rutabagas my entire life. I knew that Allegra’s Window had taught me that they were ‘nasty’…but I also knew that it was an impossibility that anything that came out of my grandma’s kitchen could ever, ever EVER be nasty. I tried the mashed rutabagas.

I’ve been believing a lie for the past twenty + years, guys.

Rutabagas are absolutely DELICIOUS.

That night began a semi-obsession with rutabagas that is still ongoing as I speak. This recipe is a result of that, and I can’t recommend it enough. Roasting is the perfect method of bringing out all the natural sweetness of the rutabaga, while the herbs are the platform on which it can stand. Try this, guys…because Everyone need rutabagas in their life.

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Herb Roasted Rutabaga

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Ingredients

• 2 large rutabagas, peeled and cubed into equal pieces.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon dried dillweed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic and herb seasoning (Like Mrs. Dash)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°

2. Place cubed rutabaga into 2 9 x 13 glass baking dishes. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until evenly coated.

3. Combine remaining ingredients together into a small bowl. Sprinkle over rutabaga cubes and toss again until even coated.

4. Roast in oven until golden and tender, about 45-50 minutes, stirring half-way through. Serve.

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