Swedes as we will call them here, or by whatever name you know them, are in season in the UK from October to March. It may surprise you that, unlike many other root vegetables, swedes are one of the lesser-known superfoods. A brilliant source of vitamins and fibre, they are satisfyingly filling, and they taste good too.
Mashed, they make an excellent side dish as a substitute for mashed potatoes, or you could use half mashed swede and half mashed potatoes. And, they are delicious Roasted with some olive oil, a sprinkling of sea salt flakes and a few thyme or rosemary sprigs for added flavour. They are good, peeled and washed, in their Raw state too. Simply grated or peeled into slivers and dressed with oil, vinegar, a pinch of sea salt flakes and a little honey too if you like.
Mashed Swedes
Peel them, wash them, and then cut them into chunks. You can boil them in very lightly salted water for about 20 minutes until completely tender (hard lumps in mashed swede are horrible), then drain and mash them with butter and some thyme leaves or finely chopped parsley.
Roasted Swedes with Rosemary or Thyme
Preheat the oven to 180c. Peel the swedes, wash them, and then cut them into chunks.
Lay them, in a single layer, on a lightly oiled baking tray. Sprinkle with olive oil and a generous sprinkling of sea salt flakes. Tuck in a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or so. They should be golden brown on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside.
See also: Green Cabbage Slaw and Red Cabbage Slaw
Sherbhert champions delicious, healthy and sustainable food where its production minimises environmental damage, exploitation, animal suffering and subsequent processing. Sherbhert’s recipes are simple and use mainly UK seasonal produce sourced as locally as possible.
