I'm a big fan of the rutabaga (I'm even working on a rutabaga website!), and find they are useful anywhere you'd use a potato -- fries, roasted with a chicken, mashed, soups, stews, etc. HOWEVER: I'd avoid them after about March or April, until late fall. They are harvested in the fall, and get bitter as they sit in storage, even if they are waxed on the outside. Fresh is best. The person who had her first rutabaga in May would probably never want to try another. Have one in November and you'll wonder how you missed them all this time!

We've all grown used to the idea that we can get any vegetable at any time of the year, but the concept of some vegetables being seasonal is a good one for those that aren't grown in tropical or warmer climates. Rutabagas truly are best in fall and winter, and after that they get dicey.

By the way, some are orange inside and some very pale yellow, like a yukon gold potato. The taste is the same, though perhaps a bit more robust in the orange ones, but the look might matter to you.