Vegetarian mains
Swede, leek & apple bake with mustard mash & crunchy walnut greens
A hearty, warming dish, great for a chilly winter’s eve. This also makes a good vegetarian Sunday lunch dish. Leftovers reheat well if you don’t eat it all in one go.
Cook's notes
Swede is highly underrated and more versatile than you might think. Mashed with carrots, butter and a good dose of pepper it's a classic. Or try braising thick slices in butter and a little veg stock until tender, adding a small spoon of honey or maple syrup towards the end. For an easy risotto, grate it and cook it with a little finely chopped rosemary or thyme and some barley or spelt, adding a splash of cream and some grated cheese at the end. THis dish is gluten free, just check your mustard pot for anything hiding in there
Ingredients
- 1 leek
- oil for frying, e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 6 good-sized sage leaves
- 1 apple
- ½ swede
- 75ml white wine
- 150g spring greens
- 15g parsley
- 400g potatoes
- 25g butter
- splash milk
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 25g grated Cheddar
- 50g walnut pieces
- salt and pepper
Method
-
Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 5. Cut the leek in half lengthways and finely shred. Pop in a bowl of cold water, swirl and leave to soak for 2 minutes so any grit
-
Step 2
falls to the bottom, then lift out into a colander. Put a pan of water on to boil.
-
Step 3
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Add the leek and fry very gently for 8-10 minutes, stirring now and then until softened. Meanwhile, wash and finely shred the sage leaves. Peel and halve the swede. Using just half the swede, cut it lengthways in half again, then crossways into thin slices, about half cm thick.
-
Step 4
Boil the swede slices in the pan of boiling water for 2 minutes then drain. Cut the apple into quarter's. Core and finely slice it. Lightly grease a baking dish with a little oil. Layer the drained swede, apple, leek and sage in the dish, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Pour over the wine. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 45 minutes.
-
Step 5
While the bake cooks, wash the spring greens and cut out and discard any tough central stalks. Lay the leaves on top of each other, roll them up into a thick cigar shape then finely shred. Wash and shake half the bag of parsley dry. Roughly chop the leaves. Peel and chop the potatoes into 2-3cm chunks. Put them in a pan of cold water with a good pinch of salt. Bring up to the boil and cook for about 10-12 minutes, until soft.
-
Step 6
Drain the potatoes into a colander, leave for 2 minutes for excess water to evaporate, then mash with the butter (add a splash of milk or cream too if you like). Stir in the mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep to one side, then gently reheat to serve when needed. After 45 minutes, remove the foil from the swede bake. Sprinkle over the 25g cheddar cheese (quarter of the bag supplied).
-
Step 7
Bake for a further 15 minutes or so, until the cheese has melted and the swede is tender (test by inserting a sharp knife). When the bake is about 10 minutes from ready, chop the walnuts into small pieces and put them in a frying pan. Heat gently for about 2 minutes, stirring often, until lightly toasted.
-
Step 8
Transfer to a plate. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and the spring greens to the frying pan. Stir fry to wilt them down, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of water to help them along if needs be. Add the chopped parsley and walnuts. Season to taste. Serve with the bake and mash.