Smashed Winter Vegetables Recipe

Carrots, Parsnips and Rutabaga Give Potatoes Stiff Competition

Feb 8, 2009

Trying to get your family to crave something besides mashed potatoes? Try mashed carrots, rutabagas and parsnips for a flavorful, healthy, and colorful change.

Watch out, you white mound of mashed potatoes -- there's a new kid in town that's more colorful and toothsome. This new entry can be added to mashed potatoes, served instead, made smooth or chunky, reheated and served again, can include a wide variety of different vegetables, and can be served with just salt and pepper or with special flavorings.

Mashing or "smashing" (making a chunky puree) cooked vegetables into a smooth or chunky puree has been around seemingly forever. It's generally applied to the common white potato, but why settle for such limitations when there's an entire world or wonderful winter vegetables out there? Combining and mashing them can make some rarely eaten types absolutely delicious to diners both young and old. Eaters who would turn down, for example, sliced or mashed turnips alone will find that when combined with their fellow veggies, the end result is delicious. Seconds may even be demanded.

Some Additional Combinations and Considerations

Don't let the below recipe limit your imagination: there are many more wonderful combinations that can be made and enjoyed. Follow the basic outline of using a total of 2 pounds of vegetables to serve 6, boil until soft enough to mash, add a touch of flavorful fat, salt and pepper to taste, and regardless of the vegetables chosen, there will be success. If the vegetables are chosen to provide a sweet touch to balance a strong one (such as carrots to balance rutabagas), additional glory will result. Choose all dense vegetables such as root vegetables or winter squash, and they can be successfully cooked together in one pot. Here are some other favorite combinations.

Fats to try might be butter, olive oil, truffle oil, walnut oil, or coconut oil. A sprinkling of an herb like nutmeg, summer savory, or even good old parsley can liven up the finished results both visually and to the palate. Go a wild and add a little minced chipotle in adobo sauce, curry paste, or other strong, utterly transformative flavor. Use dairy or soy milk and a fat other than butter, and the dish will be vegan.

The raw vegetables can be cut by hand into chunks or slices. However, the food processor can be put to good use here, particularly if this recipe is being doubled or even tripled. Use the slicing blade and even pressure to create pieces of about the same thickness.

Some of these vegetables don't need to be peeled beforehand, depending upon personal preference. Carrots, parsnips, smaller turnips, sweet and white potatoes,for example, can be left with the peels on. Since so much of these vegetables' nutrition is in the peels, why throw it away if it can be enjoyed?

Add the sliced vegetables to a pot large enough to comfortably hold them. Just barely cover with water, cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat.

Turn down the heat to a simmer, and cook until the vegetables are fork-tender and able to be mashed easily.

Drain the water and return the cooked vegetables to the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients to the hot vegetables.

Using a hand masher or an immersion blender, puree the vegetables and distribute the seasonings and milk. The end produce can be left partly chunky if desired. Taste for seasonings and adjust as required. Serve hot.

Additional Links

The copyright of the article Smashed Winter Vegetables Recipe in Winter Recipes is owned by Deborah Bier. Permission to republish Smashed Winter Vegetables Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.