There is no easier way to make a humble veg seem elegant than glazing it in this manner; turnips become royal enough to serve with any dish, but I like them best with roast chicken or beef. Other vegetables you can prepare this way: carrots, radishes, onions, beets, parsnips, or other root vegetables.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 tablespoons butter

　　1 pound turnips, carrots, radishes, onions, or other vegetable, trimmed, peeled, and cut into pieces about the size of radishes

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 teaspoon sugar

　　About 1 cup chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, preferably homemade (page 160 or 162)

　　Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

　　

Step 1

Put the butter in a medium saucepan, one that will hold the vegetable in one layer, over medium heat. Add the vegetable and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring once in a while, until the vegetable begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Add the sugar and enough stock to cover; bring to a boil and cook, more or less undisturbed, until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the vegetable is tender and brown, 20 to 30 minutes. When done, the shiny vegetable should be sitting in a small puddle of syrupy liquid.

　　

Step 3

Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like, then garnish and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.