Have you ever had a watery, gluggy mashed potato? The thought of the sludgy mess makes me cringe. It also makes me think of a typical 1970's meal. Meat, limp boiled vegetables and stodgy, sludgy watery and tasteless mash potato. One of my good friends grew up on a potato farm and I know she would hate that comment as she says 'Potatoes are not tasteless' Sorry Amy! In fairness Amy a lot of the watery mash potatoes of the 1970's were, dare I say it probably Deb instant mashed potato.

Now I have a confession to make. I have a Thermomix which is a fail safe for mashed potato. Actually in my family they eat mashed potato by the kilo. The other night for dinner 3 of my family devoured 1 kg of sweet potato mash. That’s a lot of vegetable!

Mash is a great way to incorporate extra vegetables into your meal. I set myself a little challenge to make a white vegetable mash without traditional potato. While mashing up any vegetable is good, I thought it would be great to have a couple of alternatives to top a shepherds pie and I don’t know, there is something nostalgic about white mash that sits next to carrots and greens. You will see from the photos that some of the mash had some yellow and even green tinges. But the alternatives are whiter than a yellow sweet potato.

Here are the parings I tried and their flavour profiles:

Parsnips and celeriac ~ Earthy flavour with fluffy texture. Not heavy but still full bodied, slightly opaque.

Cauliflower and leek ~ Nutty in flavour, light in texture which dissipates in your mouth. Slightly sweet and very fluid.

Kohl Ravi and white sweet potato ~ Silky, smooth and viscous. Sweet in flavour.

Swede and turnip ~ The most dense and fibrous of all the mash above. Light in flavour. I would say due to its subtle flavour and thicker consistency, its perfect for topping pies or baking.

Guide

Some of the vegetables above are more starchy than others and some have more water content. So this would naturally affect the texture and water content of the mash.

Here are the ratios I used for the above. The cauliflower and leek I used slightly less liquid as cauliflower is not starchy at all.

1kg of vegetables

250g liquid (see below for ideas)

When cooked 30g butter (this is optional)

Seasoning

Preparation

So I am going to turn the way you used to make mashed potato on its head. I would watch my Nanny make mashed potato like this. Put potatoes in pot of cold water, bring to boil and check when a knife goes cleanly through the potato. When cooked drain, add cream, butter, salt and pepper and then mash.

So here is a thought. Rather than using water to cook the potatoes that you eventually pour down the sink. Why not cook the vegetables in less liquid that adds flavour?

My suggestion is to cut the vegetables really small or even grate them. Place cut vegetables in cold liquid. When they are cooked you don’t have to drain anything. Just add butter (if desired) and whiz in food processor or use a stick blender and there you have it.

Some suggestions to add flavour with liquids, try using

Bone broth

Vegetable stock

Almond milk

Cows milk

No more boring stodgy mash potato!

Words By

Anita La Forgia

Life learner, multipotentialite, lifestyle elevator and creator

A treechanger who cooks to elevate life. Anita is passionate foodie using local, quality and seasonal ingredients. Living in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria she frequents the local farmers markets each week, with her beloved luggy. Her grandparents instilled the life skills of sustainable living, before sustainable living was a buzz word. She grew up in a restaurant and completing her International degree at César Ritz colleges in Switzerland, the heart land of hospitality, food and service.

Ugly Root Veg ~ Good Old Mash ~ Side