Rutabaga with Apples and Onions

Caramelized apples and onions are one of my favorite flavor combinations. Here the rutabagas add another layer of sweet hearty richness.

Food52 Sandy Smith

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, divided

2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

2 tart cooking apples, Jonathan/Goldrush, slice into matchsticks, peel if you like

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1+1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 medium rutabaga

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Toss apples and onions together to combine.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. When butter is melted, add onion-and-apple mixture and allow to cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar over the onion mixture and gently stir in.

When onions are deep golden brown and caramelized, add 1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar to pan to deglaze it, and stir, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer until vinegar is absorbed, then turn off heat and set aside.

While the onion mixture is cooking, wash and peel the rutabaga. Cut into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch dice. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook diced rutabaga until tender ~ about 20 minutes. Cooking time will vary according to the size of your dice, so test at 5-minutes intervals. The rutabaga is done when it is fork-tender. Drain well.

Remove onion mixture from pan and melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the same pan. When melted, add rutabaga cubes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook over medium-low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Add onion mixture back to pan and gently stir into rutabaga cubes. Let cook for a minute or two to heat through.

Enjoy!