Smashed swede with fried sausage, green peppercorns & parmesan

Autumn

Every time I make this, Alice says: ‘Oh my god, I think that’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten.’ This is exceptionally good press, particularly for swede, as usually it’s a hard-knock life for this middle-of-the-road root. Bringing out the best in anything takes love and encouragement. In this recipe that comes by way of double cream and aged Parmesan. I like to use a nice, fatty, garlicky sausage, but any well-flavoured, free-range sausage will do. Green peppercorns in brine are essential – and they need to be in brine, not dried. They are full of punch and pep and go absolutely perfectly with swede.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 swede, cut into large cubes
dash of extra-virgin olive oil
1 large Cumberland sausage
50g (2oz) butter
100ml (3½fl oz) double cream
50g (2oz) Parmesan or hard sheep’s cheese, grated
2–3 teaspoons green peppercorns in brine
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place a large pan of salted water over a high heat and bring to the boil. Add the swede and cook for 30–40 minutes, until the swede is tender.

Meanwhile, set a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Add the dash of oil, followed by the sausage and let it gently sizzle away, turning occasionally, until well browned and cooked through – this should take a good 20 minutes or more. (Cooking the sausage slowly actually helps to tenderise the pork inside and stops it splitting.) Don’t be tempted to prick the sausage with a fork – this just lets out all the fat and juices, which are far better kept inside. Keep the sausage warm once cooked.

Once the swede is tender, remove the pan from the heat, drain the swede and leave in the colander to allow the steam to evaporate. Meanwhile, return the pan to a low heat and add the butter and cream. When it’s bubbling away, tip in the cooked swede. Use a potato masher to smash and bash the swede into the butter and cream (you could use a potato ricer, if you prefer). The result should be relatively smooth. Stir in all but a smattering of the grated cheese and season well with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon the swede out over a plate or platter. Top with the sausage, then sprinkle over the green peppercorns. Finish with a sprinkling of the remaining cheese and bring to the table.

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