Maybe it’s the allure of the picture-perfect New England style farm stand, the aroma of the freshly cut Christmas trees or the thoughtfully displayed produce, but there’s something special about Brookline’s Allandale Farms. Distanced from the main road but clearly marked by sprawling fields, the city’s only farm offers an impressive selection of seasonally fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs so lush and packaged so artfully that they could have been given as gifts and dainty baked goods that sat behind the glass doors of a vintage china cabinet. Moving past the main entrance, locally-made jams and honey fill shelf-lined walls, while holiday decorations and gardening equipment are available for purchase. We found ourselves caught up in the atmosphere of the rustically chic grocery area and filling our cart with a variety of apples, squashes, fresh chestnuts, little nubs of ginger and baby turnips. Allandale Farms is charming and the variety plenty and even if the prices are a little steep for everyday grocery shopping, an occasional visit is a must.
At home with our bounty of fresh produce, we wanted to keep it simple, giving our fruits and vegetables the opportunity to really shine and we decided that a hash was the easiest way to do that. Hashes are a great one-pot solution to using whatever you have on hand and combining it into one simple dish. While they are interchangeable, we find that the best ones combine a mixture of seasonal roasted vegetables, fruits and a meat that make this a satisfying meal any time of year.
Fall Vegetable Hash with Sausage and Pomegranate Seeds
1 turnip, scrubbed clean and largely diced
1 radish, scrubbed clean and largely diced
1 apple, rinsed and largely diced
2-3 links of sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2-3 potatoes, scrubbed clean and diced
The seeds from 1 pomegranate
Fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil for drizzling
On a baking sheet, scatter the turnip, radish, apple and potato in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees until the vegetables start to brown a bit. While the vegetable are roasting, in a small skillet on medium heat, drizzle olive oil into the skillet and add sausage, breaking it into bits. Let the sausage brown and set aside. To assemble, combine the vegetables with the pomegranate seeds and top with fresh parsley. Serve warm.
Contributed by Chefs Richard Chudy and Katie Barszcz of The Skinny Beet. A native Bostonian, Richard Chudy graduated from the Professional Chef’s Program at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts in 2007 and started a private chef business. When he’s not busy in the kitchen, he runs Boston Burger Blog, his ongoing quest for the perfect burger in Boston. Katie started her blog, The Small Boston Kitchen, in December of 2009 as a way to document her hours spent in the kitchen, as well as her eating adventures throughout the Greater Boston area. In January 2011, Katie attended the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, where she received her Culinary Certificate. Katie co-owns a personal chef and catering business, The Skinny Beet
