Heat a sauté pan over low heat; add one cup of oil, one sprig of thyme, and three tablespoons of butter to the pan and heat until the butter melts.

Add the shallot rings to the pan and cook until the shallots have softened and are translucent. Once translucent, turn the heat up and crisp the shallots until they are a deep brown (this only takes a few minutes so be careful!). Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and spread across a paper towel to help absorb the extra oil released by the shallots.

Boil your rutabaga in water until the rutabaga cubes are fork tender.

Pour the rutabaga into a colander and allow to strain for a few minutes.

In the same pot you used to cook the rutabaga, add your butter and cream and heat until the butter melts. Add your rutabaga back to the pot and mash until it resembles a mashed potato texture. Add salt and pepper to taste (about a 1/2t of each should do).

If you have a food processor you can whip these until they are very smooth, they do not have as much starch as potatoes so they will not get sticky or gummy.

Top the rutabaga with the crispy shallots just before serving.