A simple but tasty winter side dish. It makes a lovely accompaniment to all sorts of dishes, but is particularly good with a roast dinner, pie or sausages. Use olive oil instead of butter to make it dairy-free or vegan.
Peel the swede, then chop the flesh into rough cubes - about 1 ½ cm sq.
1 small swede (rutabaga)
Scrub the carrots well, then top and tail. No need to peel. Chop into similar sized piece to the swede.
500 g carrots
Place in a large lidded pan along with the bay leaf and salt.
1 bay leaf, ½ tsp sea salt
Almost, but not quite, cover with water. Bring to the boil with the lid on then simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until the cubes are cooked, but not mushy. You can test by inserting a knife into a cube of each. If it goes in easily, it's done.
Drain through a colander, reserving the cooking liquid for gravy or soup. Allow to steam dry a little, then return to the pan. Add the butter, nutmeg and pepper and mash to your desired consistency.
25 g salted butter, good grating of nutmeg, good grinding of black pepper
Notes
You will need a large sturdy knife to cut the swede. It is usually quite tough.Scatter some chopped fresh parsley over the top of your carrot and rutabaga mash. The green gives a nice colour contrast to the orange and makes the mash stand out even more.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They're approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used.