Roots n radicals – Carroty mash: The great leap forward

As Dr Johnston, author of The Dictionary, once said: “When a man is tired of carroty mash, he is tired of life.” or was that London?
Doesn't matter, carroty mash is the ultimate root dish – carrot mashed with parsnip rocks. Some people swear by the carrot/turnip combo, and the Scots have a taste for tatties and nips, but they're wrong. Carrots and parsnips are as traditional a combo as Morecambe and Wise, chips n mushy peas or Leeds and Bradford. So there.
Even so, you have to move with the times, so here's a variation you might want to try if you fear you're overdoing on the trad mash this winter.

You will need:

350g parsnips
150g carrots
2 teaspoons vegan cream cheese
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger

Boil your carrots and parsnips till tender – it can be an idea to bung in the carrots for a few minutes first as they take longer. Add the remaining ingredients and give it a mash. Dump in an ovenproof dish and bake at 200C for 20 minutes. Easy.

Roots n radicals – Sweet potato on the side

Easy one this, and the idea is pinched from the excellent El Piano in York. Check it out if you're in town – they did the place up, made it almost totally vegan and the food is a winner every time. Woohay. And although they've tidied up the menu, they've kept a Spanish feel to it – I still find it a little Meze though! Geddit!?!?!
They've just released a cookbook based on their simple seductive food, which is also worth checking out.

You need:
250g sweet potato
2 teaspoons vegan cream cheese

Dead easy this. Boil the sweet potato until tender n mash with the vegan cream cheese. Dollop it into an ovenproof dish and bake at 200C for 20 minutes. Bingo.

Celeriac, parsnip and Bramley apple mash

Celeriac is a difficult vegetable to mash. Not because its intricate root system traps soil particles, making it difficult to clean, but because it looks like an Ood off Doctor Who, and who could harm one of those little fellows?

However, this is easy, tasty and really quick. Goes well with sweetcorn, sweet potato and polenta fritters (below).

You will need:

1 medium celeriac
2 parsnips
2 bramley apples

Peel and chop the celeriac and parsnips and add to a pan of boiling, lightly salted water. Once they begin to soften, add the peeled and chopped bramley apple. Simmer a little longer, drain and mash. I prefer to mash them very coarsely and prefer not to use margarine or oil as they celeriac has enough character to carry it off without. So does an Ood.