Carrot and Swede Mash

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Total time:

  • Portion/Yield:

    Serves 4 as an accompaniment

  • Difficulty:

    Easy

This recipe reminds me of Christmas, or should I say winter. Every year the summer fades, autumn sets in and then all of a sudden, bang, winter is
here! At this time of year it often feels as if nothing is growing and the season is bare (unless you count the exotics available in the season’s bounty). But if you dig deep, you will find culinary cheer in wonderful winter vegetables such as swedes, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, carrots and celeriac.

This carrot and swede mash is a triumph, as it looks fantastic and tastes great. It definitely brightens up my winter plates and I love cooking this mash for the Christmas table. This recipe is featured on page 413 in my cookbook and I thought that it was time for it to enjoy pride of place on the website too. The beauty about this vegetable mash is that it can be made up to 3 days in advance, then kept refrigerated, as it gets better and even tastier a day or two after it’s been made. It also freezes very well.

I like serving this carrot and swede mash as an accompaniment to roast turkey, goose, beef or chicken.photo of Carrot and Swede Mashphoto of Carrot and Swede Mash

Ingredients & Method

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 350g swede (prepared weight), peeled and sliced
  • 350g carrots (prepared weight), peeled and sliced
  • 200ml dry white wine
  • 250ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • a few fresh gratings of nutmeg
  • sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan and once it starts to foam, add the swede, carrots and salt and pepper, then sauté over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes or until softened, making sure the vegetables don’t take on too much colour.

Add the wine to the pan and let it bubble, stirring and scraping the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze it. Boil rapidly over a high heat for 5 minutes, then stir in the stock and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat, then cover the pan and simmer over a low heat for 18–20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the swede and carrots are soft and almost falling apart and the liquid has evaporated. If there is still liquid in the pan, remove the lid, turn the heat up and cook until it has evaporated, without letting the vegetables catch or brown too much.

Remove from the heat, add the remaining butter and mash together until smooth using a potato masher. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and nutmeg and stir to mix, then adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve piping hot.

Cook’s Note
This mash tastes even better the following day, so I’d advise making it a day in advance – you can make it up to 3 days in advance, if you like. Make it as directed and leave to cool, then transfer the mash to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you are ready to serve, gently reheat the mash in a saucepan over a medium heat (or in a microwave) until it is piping hot.