Buttery Swede and Carrot Mash is a simple yet delicious British dish that complements perfectly a variety of meat dishes, especially the roasts. This simple and colorful side dish is a great alternative to Creamy Mashed Potatoes and provides one of your five a day vegetables. It’s budget-friendly, easy to make, and packed with nutrients.
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In our household, no roast dinner is complete without this vibrant, tasty and low carb carrot swede mash, accompanied with my extremely crispy Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes and the scrumptious Cauliflower Cheese. You can use the leftovers for topping a Cottage Pie or a Fish Pie or you can use it for making warming Turkish Lentil Soup (Mercimek Corbasi).
Why This Recipe Works?
- You only need 5 ingredients (including the salt) for this simple recipe.
- It is a great substitute for mashed potatoes if you are on a low carb diet or if you are diabetic.
- You can make it vegan friendly by swapping the butter with olive oil or vegan butter.
- It is cheap, yet delicious and nutritious.
- You can adapt it by adding nutmeg, orange zest, double cream, chopped herbs or garlic.
What is a Swede?
Swede is a starchy root vegetable cross between a cabbage and a turnip. This nutty, sweet and slightly bitter autumn/winter vegetable is known as "Rubataga" in the U.S. You can roast it or add it to soups and stews. Despite its mild taste, it has a very strong smell while cooking. When buying a swede, make sure it is very firm all over without any soft spots. Swede is a very tough root vegetable, therefore you need a very good sharp knife, preferably a serrated knife to cut it into chunks.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Swede - This root vegetable is also known as rutabaga and is perfect for mashing. Use a fresh, firm swede to achieve a delicious mash.
- Carrots - They add a vibrant orange colour as well as sweetness to the mash. Peel before cutting them into chunks for a smoother mash.
- Butter - Salted or unsalted butter works perfectly with this mash. Make sure you use good quality butter as it is the most important flavouring for this dish.
- Freshly ground black pepper - I use a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper for seasoning. You can use less pepper if you prefer. You can substitute it with white pepper.
- Salt - Adjust the amount to your taste.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This is a very simple, straightforward recipe and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
- Prepare the vegetables - Peel the carrots, and then cut them into chunks, roughly around 3 cm. Secondly, remove the top and bottom of the swede in order to make it easier to peel. Rest the cut side down on a cutting board and run a sharp knife down the sides, just about a millimeter in. Or use a vegetable peeler, start at the top and peel down your swede until all the tough outer skin has been removed. Once peeled, carefully cut the swede in half and then cut it into big chunks, the same size as the carrots.
- Cook the vegetables - Place the chopped swede and carrot in a pan, add some water just enough to cover them, and put on medium heat. Bring the pan to a boil and cook the swede and carrots for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are soft. Drain the water and put the swede and carrots on a colander.
Cook the swede and carrots 
Place them in a colander
- Mash and garnish - Return them to the pan they were cooked in, let the water evaporate, and then add the cubed butter, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mash them all together using a potato masher or potato ricer. If you like your mash really smooth and creamy, you can add some cream and blitz it with a hand blender until smooth. Garnish with some chopped herbs such as chives or parsley before serving.
Add butter and seasoning, mash with a masher 
Garnish and serve
Related Recipes
For more simple yet delicious side dishes why not try:
This mash freezes beautifully! You can make it in large batches and keep the leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months. The consistency might slightly change after defrosting. Check before serving and add some cream if too thick or cook until the water evaporates if watery.
If frozen, defrost it before reheating. Simply place it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for a couple of minutes, until piping hot. You can also reheat it in a small saucepan on low heat, stirring frequently.
You can serve this delicious side dish with any roast dinner as well as meat dishes like Easy Lamb Goulash (Hungarian Stew), Baked Turkish Meatballs, Dutch Oven Roast Chicken and Kuru Fasulye.
Top Tip From the Chef
You can cook the swede in the microwave to save some time. Simply place the whole swede in the microwave for 20 minutes on a high setting. The timing might change depending on the size of the swede. Check it with a sharp knife after 20 minutes, if it's not soft yet, put it back in the microwave oven for another 5-10 minutes.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious mashed Carrot and Swede as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Swede and Carrot Mash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g swede (cut in chunks)
- 400 g carrots (cut in chunks)
- 60 g butter (cubed)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Start with preparing your vegetables, peel the carrots, and cut them into chunks, roughly around 3 cm.
- Remove the top and bottom of the swede in order to make it easier to peel. Rest the cut side down on a cutting board and run a sharp knife down the sides, just about a millimeter in. Or use a vegetable peeler, start at the top and peel down your swede until all the tough outer skin has been removed.
- Once peeled, carefully cut the swede in half and then cut it into big chunks, the same size as the carrots.
- Place the chopped swede and carrot in a pan, add some water just enough to cover them, and put on medium heat.
- Bring the pan to a boil and cook the swede and carrots for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are soft.
- Drain the water and put the swede and carrots on a colander.
- Return them to the pan they were cooked in, let the water evaporate, and then add the cubed butter, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Mash them all together using a potato masher or potato ricer. If you like your mash really smooth and creamy, you can add some cream and blitz it with a hand blender until smooth.
- Garnish with some chopped herbs such as chives or parsley before serving.
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Did you make this recipe?
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Sally
I made this delicious mash for roast lamb dinner and everyone loved it. Great recipe!