green neeps & tatties: smashed potatoes with rutabaga & broccoli

green neeps & tatties (smashed potatoes, rutabagas & broccoli) | everybody likes sandwiches

I remember visiting my grandparents in Quebec when I was very little. We arrived fairly late in the evening after a long 8 hour car ride, but my grandparents had dinner ready on the table for us. There was some kind of roasted meat, a few dishes of vegetables, and mashed potatoes. I scooped out a big pile onto my plate and dug in. Something wasn’t right and I burst into tears. My grandmother’s mashed potatoes were full of cooked mashed carrots. I liked carrots, but the combination was an abomination to my tender tastebuds.

After all these years, I still haven’t tried putting together carrots and potatoes, the memory of those tears linger deep. But you’ll be happy to know, that I do love mixing other vegetables into my mashed potatoes. This colcannon for one is delicious and I’ve been known to stir in sautéed cabbage into my mashed potatoes, thank you very much. I’m not a mashed potato brat anymore. And I’ve got this dish chockfull of rutabagas and broccoli to prove it.

green neeps & tatties (smashed potatoes, rutabagas & broccoli) | everybody likes sandwiches

Rutabagas and potatoes are an easy match. The former lends a buttery golden hue along with a hint of earthy sweetness to the simple potato. But as the potatoes and rutabagas were boiling away, getting softer and ready to mash, I decided that these golden vegetables needed a bit of green. So I chopped up a head of broccoli and added it into the simmering pot. Instead of mashing the whole shebang into velvety softness, I left things a little chunky. Smashing rather than mashing is the key word. Also, you’ll note that I leave the skins on the potatoes. It keeps this dish rugged and texturally interesting. After all, this isn’t fine dining.

You don’t need to go heavy on the butter because there’s a lot of flavour going on. But I did decide to amp things up with a little bit of grated extra strong cheddar cheese. I leave the cheese as an option – if you’re vegan, leave it out and sub in some Earth Balance instead of the butter. However, as much as we all like to play around with recipes, please, please, please, do not leave out the green onions! It just isn’t as delicious without it.

green neeps & tatties (smashed potatoes, rutabagas & broccoli) | everybody likes sandwiches

20 comments to “green neeps & tatties: smashed potatoes with rutabaga & broccoli”

  1. 1
    Joanne   March 21, 2013 at 3:20 am

    Carrots have such a distinct flavor that I could see them really not going with potatoes. But rutabagas are much more subtle. And I so love the hint of green!

  2. 2
    Shannon @ moveeatcreate.wordpress.com   March 21, 2013 at 7:31 am

    Oh, these look so tasty! And, while I very well might sub in some vegan products, I wouldn’t dream of leaving out the green onions! NO way!

  3. 3
    Joanne (Bijoux)   March 21, 2013 at 8:33 am

    I too, had an aversion to cooked carrots as a kid….and cooked celery and cooked turnips and boiled eggs. Come to think of it, I was a very picky eater. Can’t say the same for now. The added potato skins and broccoli are something I seek out. Texture, bite and chew are essential. Butter and cheese are like the cherry on top. Yum!

  4. 4
    Eileen   March 21, 2013 at 10:35 am

    This sounds so good–earthy and comforting and soporific. I’m so glad to see the love for the deeply unpopular rutabaga! Unpopular veg are the best. 🙂

  5. 5
    kickpleat   March 21, 2013 at 10:50 am

    Joanne, agreed. I’m not going to be trying that combination any time soon 🙂

    That’s right, Shannon, the green onions are key!

    I didn’t mind cooked carrots, Joanne, but mashed with potatoes? Ew. I too was a super picky eater – and some might say I still am! I’m trying to get over it, but I do love this dish.

    Eileen, I LOVE rutabaga – even when I was a kid. We had it boiled with pot roasts and I thought they were lovely. Still do 🙂

  6. 6
    Rachel (heart of light)   March 21, 2013 at 11:18 am

    Oh, I would be your nightmare! I totally do the mashed carrots + potatoes thing (I swear it’s good, just a little sweeter than normal potatoes and beautifully colored). I love it. I also do potatoes + cauliflower and potatoes + broccoli. I guess I’m really not a potato purist!

    We ate SO MANY mashed potatoes growing up that I think I started mixing things in to alleviate boredom. : )

    Still haven’t tried rutabagas, though. I must do this soon.

  7. 7
    Nicole   March 21, 2013 at 12:01 pm

    Yay! I love rutabaga and this whole smash sounds great! So pretty, too, with that touch of green. How amazing is it that your grandparents had dinner ready for you when they didn’t get a text to say you’re 30 minutes away 🙂

  8. 8
    kickpleat   March 21, 2013 at 12:45 pm

    Rachel, okay! You’re making me curious about the mix of the two. I’m going to try it out soon. I love roasting carrots and potatoes together so why not mashed, right? I will fight with my inner child and we’ll see if I cry or not. And yes, get yourself a rutabaga – they are amazing!

    Nicole, I think they’re quite pretty too. Ha, I know, so funny!! Oh, technology, we used to do okay without you.

  9. 9
    Ibbs   March 23, 2013 at 11:52 am

    ohmygoodnessgraciousme how have I NEVER thought of doing this before?!?! Putting broccoli into mash would totally disguise it into the potato yummyness 🙂
    Thanks for some awesome inspiration, can’t wait to try it out x x x

  10. 10
    Alan   March 24, 2013 at 6:59 am

    I have never truly appreciated the rutabaga, I guess it was just not one of the things my Mom cooked with so it remained misunderstood to me. This looks like a relatively safe way to try it out, Thanks!

  11. 11
    Warm Vanilla Sugar   March 24, 2013 at 11:09 am

    This looks like a total delight! Yum!

  12. 12
    kickpleat   March 25, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    Ibbs, it’s such a good thing – give it a try!

    Alan, understand the rutabaga. That’s all 🙂

    Thanks WVS!! It is indeed.

  13. 13
    Charlotte   March 25, 2013 at 3:52 pm

    What a great idea in general, I can think of several combinations I want to try, and nothing gives any mashed potatoes an extra kick like some chopped green onion on top!

  14. 14
    Robert F   March 27, 2013 at 11:14 pm

    I made this tonight. Despite your entreaty, I made it without the green onions because Judy hates the taste of raw onion. Anyway, I substituted 1 Tbsp of horseradish to give it some kick but it was still a bit bland to me. I’ll try the leftovers tomorrow with green onions for my portion.

    This dish is similar to one of my top 10 recipes, Mark Bittman’s Liguria potatoes; they’re bitter and creamy. You can search for this dish online and watch his fun little video if you’re so inclined; I’d be interested in your perspective.

  15. 15
    Sues   April 2, 2013 at 8:28 am

    I just wrote a post about how I’m not the biggest potato fan, so this sounds SO mush more appealing to me! 🙂

  16. 16
    mild   April 3, 2013 at 1:59 am

    healthy and delicious!

  17. 17
    kickpleat   April 3, 2013 at 1:35 pm

    Agreed, Charlotte! Enjoy 🙂

    Robert F, well, I can see why you could consider it “bland” – for me, these were pretty great and sometimes I really enjoy that kind of comfort. You could also add in some garlic to give it a bit more punch. But yes, those green onions are key! And thanks for the nudge to try Mark Bittman’s potato recipe. I’ll give it a go soon.

    Sues, what?! I cant understand that one bit 🙂

    Thanks Mild.

  18. 18
    Bessie   April 3, 2013 at 9:09 pm

    yum!! i recently added kale to mashed potatoes so i’m loving this

  19. 19
    kickpleat   April 8, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    Bessie, yes to adding in kale! I hope you give this a try.

  20. 20
    Janice Williams   January 28, 2018 at 10:33 am

    There is a Dutch dish called Hutspot. It is onions, potatoes and carrots boiled in beef broth. Then drained and mashed, adding in a little beef broth if needed. It is delicious.

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