Roast swede with onions, sage and chestnuts

Winter

Swede is not a stone – it needs to be looked after, like all vegetables. If it’s been cast aside, untouched and forgotten for week after week, it will grow old, wrinkly and tired. It will have nothing left to offer. Swede is best cooked fresh, when it is bright and firm and full of colour. This all-in-one-tray supper is a perfect way to celebrate the swede. It gets roasted with onions, lots of sage and garlic, and salt and pepper. Then, when it’s nearly ready, I add grated Cheddar and crumbled chestnuts. Absolute heaven.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 large swede, peeled and cut into 2–3cm (¾–1¼in) dice
2 onions, halved and cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1 handful of sage, leaves picked and roughly chopped
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
100g (3½oz) cooked, shelled chestnuts, broken into chunky bits
50g (1¾oz) mature cheddar cheese, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the swede, turn the heat down a little and simmer for 25–30 minutes, or until the swede takes the point of a knife with ease. Drain and allow to steam off for a few moments.

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.

Scatter the swede into a medium roasting tin. Add the onion wedges, garlic and sage and trickle over the oil. Season really well with salt and pepper, then tumble everything together and roast for 35–40 minutes, stirring several times during cooking, until the onion is soft and caramelised and the swede is lovely and tender. Remove from the oven, scatter over the chestnut bits and the grated cheese, then pop the tray back in the oven for 10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt and crisp up a little. Serve at once.

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