Roast beetroot with rotmos

I had been married to my Swede for many years before I finally got to visit Sweden for the first time. His family hails from a tiny island off the west coast of the country, where we had a large 'gathering of the clans' the year my husband turned 40. Not purely because it was his 40th, but also because that was the year his sister turned 50, his cousin turned 40 and his Mom turned 75. I think there were a few other big events that year, but I can't remember what they were... which is a little sad, because we are now exactly 10 years down the line, which means we're in for another round of them!

Anyhoo, while we were there, my in-laws rustled up a meal that has since become a regular on my table: smoked sausages with beetroot and rotmos (root mash). So today, you get two recipes in one. Mainly because they aren't really 'recipes', strictly speaking.

On that occasion, they simply boiled the beetroot, and ate them with far too much butter. You could try that... only it's probably a good idea to cut back on the butter! I often roast a variety of vegetables together: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, bell peppers, beetroots and onions. You could try that, too.

But today, it's just the beetroots on their own. And this is how you do it.

Oven temperature

180C

Peeled and quartered

Ingredients

Beetroot, one per person, peeled and quartered
A little oil
Some fennel or cumin seeds (optional)

Method

• Preheat the oil in a roasting dish.
• Place the beetroot quarters in the hot oil and sprinkle with a few seeds (if you're using these).
• Roast until done (about 40 minutes), turning every 10 minutes or so.

While that's happening, let's get cracking on the rotmos. This is made on the hob.

Ingredients

Boil together

Potatoes, one per person, peeled and cubed
Carrots, one per person, peeled and chopped
Swede (rutabaga), one small, or half a medium sized one, peeled and cubed
Butter, milk and salt (optional)

• Boil up the vegetables together until they're soft.
• Mash them all up together, using a little butter, milk and salt to get it just the way you like it.

Serve with the roast beetroot and smoked sausage. Of course, if you're a vegetarian, you could just leave out the sausage, or replace it with a veggie option.