Rotmos - Swede Mash

Here is the recipe for a very authentic and old fashioned dish that used to be pauper's fare here i Sweden. It still is very affordable but it is also healthy! Nowadays you will find it in trendy and fancy restaurants as Husmanskost of the day. You can very easily take it up a notch by for example serving it with salt cured beef brisket, which is one traditional companion. I also serve it with cured pork that I boil, then reserve the stock to make the mash. Here is the simplest way, using ready made stock cubes. It is very quick to make and so simple too! You can probably tell from the name that the root vegetable swede goes back a long way in this country, it predates the potato. And this is one of the most popular ways of serving it.

Serves 6.

2 medium size swedes, approx 1 kg.

6 potatoes

1-1.5 carrots

20 allspice peppercorns

1 bay leaf

salt, white pepper

butter

stock

to serve, strong mustard

Peel the vegetables, cut them into chunks. Place the chunks of swede in a pot and just about cover with water and stock. Add the spices and salt, simmer approximately 30 minutes until they are almost soft.

Add carrots and let simmer a little while longer. Then add potatoes and cook until everything is soft. Now pour off and reserve the liquid and then press the vegetables with a potato press, or whisk with an electric whisk. Add some of the reserved juices back in along with a big dab of butter, mix into a soft mash. Season and taste.

Serve with strong mustard, cured pork or cured beef. In the picture above, I served it with a pork sausage. 

If you are making this using juices from boiling meat, cook the meat in water with the spices, and an onion. Taste the juices and season well, then use for the mash. You might need to add a couple of new allspice to the simmering vegetables.