Gilfeather Mac and Cheese
1 medium Gilfeather turnip, peeled, cubed into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch chunks
1 small onion, cut in half (outer paper removed)
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled whole
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 TBSP butter
3 cups milk (any type of milk works here… we use goat milk because that’s what we have, but cow milk, almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, whatever you want for your cheese sauce base)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp lemon juice
1 pound elbow noodles
Toss the cubed Gilfeather turnip, onion halves, and whole garlic cloves in olive oil and salt and spread on a baking tray. Roast at 300 until everything can be smooshed. (The garlic may finish first, so remove those from the tray, then the onions will probably be done next. The gilfeather cubes really want to be able to be fully smashed by a fork or spoon before they come out.) This slow and low roasting will bring out their sweet notes. Once they can be fully smooshed, add all the roasted veggies to a pot with the butter, and put on a low heat until the butter is melted. Add one cup of the milk to the pot, and use an immersion blender to completely puree everything. (No immersion blender, it’s ok, puree everything with whatever kitchen tool you have.. food processor, blender.) You want the puree to be as smooth as possible. Continue to add the remaining 2 cups of milk as you puree. Once the puree is nice and smooth, add the nutmeg, lemon juice, and shredded cheddar cheese, and stir on low until the cheese has fully melted. Taste, and adjust with salt, pepper, lemon juice, more cheese, or even more milk if the sauce is too thick. Meanwhile, cook the elbow noodles in a separate pot until they are al dente. Drain the pasta water, and then stir the sauce and noodles together a bit at a time to make sure you have the right amount of sauce to noodles. You can then serve this as is, or put in a deep baking tray, and cover the top with bread crumbs and shredded parmesan and bake until the top is melted. So good!