Let me start this post with, “I HATE mushrooms!” so, you may ask, why cook some? Well, it all started with a post from the Crunchy Radish about shiitake mushrooms and how they taste just like bacon when fried. Really? Because I love the taste of bacon, but I no longer love the idea of killing an animal for me to eat. So, I happily pinned her recipe to my Pinterest board to save for when I had time to try it out.
Well, I tried it. And I learned. Fried Shiitake mushrooms do not, under any circumstances taste like bacon. Sorry, but no. Much to my surprise, the shiitakes don’t taste like yucky regular mushrooms either. They are much more mild in flavor and I don’t get that same, musty “dirt” taste that I get when I eat other mushrooms. One thumb down, but one thumb up too. I decided to give the shiitake ‘bacon” another try with root veggies- potatoes and turnips to be precise. Yum, they actually taste really good and are pretty enough to serve to company as well.
Fried Shiitake Mushrooms with Onions and Root Veggies
This is a fast, easy meal to cook. Most of the listed time is due to peeling the potatoes and turnips.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms. I used dried and then reconstituted them as per package instructions.
- 1 small onion – diced
- 3 or 4 peeled and diced potatoes
- 2 or 3 peeled and diced turnips
- a hefty sprinkle of dried parsley
- salt and pepper to taste – about 1 -1/2 to 2 tsp each (if you are going without salt, try the Mrs. Dash onion, garlic mix. It’s delicious.)
- A little swish of olive oil – just enough to lightly coat the bottom of your wok or fry pan
Process:

