Parsnip, leek and potato mash

By Birgitta

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

A hearty, flavoursome mash - the perfect thing to serve with beef stew or herby pork sausages.

Ingredients

• 70 g unsalted butter
• 750 g leeks, white and pale green parts only, washed and sliced
• 500 g floury potatoes, scrubbed and, if large, halved
• 1 kg parsnips, peeled and cut into big chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

Preparation

Step 1

In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium-low heat, melt all the butter bar a tablespoon. Add the leeks and cook until really soft and beginning to take on some colour, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

While the leeks are cooking, put the spuds, parsnips and garlic into a large saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover by 4cm and a rounded teaspoon of salt. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat so they're simmering nicely, partially cover and cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain and return to the pan. Leave to steam for a minute or two, then lift out the garlic cloves and slip from their skins. Mash the garlic with a little salt and the remaining butter, return to the pan with the leeks, mustard and a few grinds of pepper, and mash roughly. Taste, add more salt and pepper as necessary, then serve immediately.