Creamy mashed root vegetable and potato bake blended with cheese, aromatic thyme, and nutmeg, topped with golden, crispy breadcrumbs- a perfect winter side dish.
Recipe Intro
This modern twist on the classic British parsnip bake combines a hearty mix of root vegetables for a richer, more flavourful side dish. Featuring tender parsnips, sweet carrots, swede, potato, and celeriac, this dish offers a comforting medley of earthy, seasonal flavours.
While traditionally a side dish, this mix of root veggies makes for a satisfying and filling vegetarian main dish as well.
Mashed root vegetable bake ingredients
- root vegetables – Use a mix of parsnips, carrots, swede and potatoes as the base. However, you can adjust the combination, use them individually, or mix them in different ratios to suit your taste. Feel free to leave out or add other root vegetables of your choice for variety.
- cheese – Use Cheddar or other semi-hard cheese of your choice
- Parmesan – Or another type of hard cheese.
- nutmeg – This spice is essential for adding that special, warming note to the dish, so don’t skip it.
- herbs – thyme and marjoram
- double cream
- butter – Unsalted.
- egg – Whole egg, beaten.
- honey – Any light honey, such as acacia, wildflowers, linden or similar.
- breadcrumbs – Use standard or Panko.
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How to make mashed root vegetable bake
You don’t need to use all the vegetables listed in the ingredients. However, for an authentic flavour, it’s essential to include parsnip and potato and combine it with other root vegetables of your choice.
Feel free to adjust the amount and combination of vegetables to suit your taste, the number of people you’re serving, or the size of the dish. You can prepare this with just one type of root vegetable or a mix of your favourites, or skip the potato if you prefer!
Cook the vegetables:
Peel and chop the vegetables into small pieces so they cook quickly. Add them to a pot of boiling salted water. Cook for 15 minutes, until soft. Once the vegetables are cooked through, drain them and return them to the pot.
Make the mash:
Add butter, cream, honey, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the cooked vegetables. Mash the mixture thoroughly and stir well to ensure everything is combined.
Add a whisked egg, marjoram, thyme and 2/3 of the grated cheese to the vegetable mixture. Mix well to combine and transfer it to the prepared, greased dish.
Add the Topping:
Sprinkle the remaining grated Cheddar cheese on top, along with grated Parmesan, and finish with a layer of breadcrumbs mixed with some thyme.
Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes, or until the egg is set, the cheese has melted, and the breadcrumbs are golden and bubbly. Once cooked, remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy this rich and comforting side dish!
Serving mashed root vegetable bake
Here’s how I served my root vegetable bake (this one was without potato): I paired it with haggis and creamy mashed potato, creating a cosy, traditional meal that was both comforting and satisfying.
Recipe Card
Mashed root vegetable bake with cheese
Ingredients
- 4 g parsnips
- 2 g carrots
- 1 g swede - medium size
- 2 potato - medium size
- 1 small piece celeriac
- 1 cup Cheddar - grated
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese - grated
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp marjoram
- 2 thyme
- 1 tbsp honey
- 5-6 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 150 ml cream
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- salt - to taste
- A few tbsp oil - as needed
Instructions
- Peel and chop the vegetables into small pieces. Add to a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain and return to the pot.
- Add butter, cream, honey, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the cooked vegetables. Mash thoroughly and stir well. Mix in a whisked egg, marjoram, thyme, and 2/3 of the grated cheese. Combine well and transfer to a greased dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top with grated Parmesan and a layer of breadcrumbs mixed with thyme.
- Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes, or until the egg is set, the cheese has melted, and the breadcrumbs are golden and bubbly. Rest for a few minutes before serving.