Parsnip, nut and cheese bangers with sweet potato mash recipe

The ultimate comfort food with a twist - try this tasty vegetarian alternative to bangers and mash

Ingredients

• 500g (1lb) parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
• 75g (2½oz) cashew nuts, chopped, then roasted
• 100g (3½oz) Cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 90g (3oz) white breadcrumbs
• 2 medium egg yolks
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the mash:

• 1kg (2¼lb) sweet potatoes and carrots (about half and half), cut into chunks
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 4 tablespoons single cream or milk
• 60g (2oz) butter
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, roasted

Method

1. To make the sausages: Add the parsnips to a pan ofboiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes until just tender. Drain well. Put them back in the pan over a gentle heat to dry out for a minute. Mash them and leave to cool for at least 10 minutes. Add the nuts, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, breadcrumbs and egg yolks. Season well. Divide the mixture into 8 and shape it into sausages.
2. For the mash: Add the chunks of sweet potato and carrot and the garlic to a pan of boiling salted water and simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the sausages for 10-12 minutes until browned all over and cooked through.
4. Drain the vegetables, return them to the pan and add the cream or milk and butter and mash well. Stir in the cumin seeds and season well.
5. Serve the sausages and mash with some chopped leeks, sautéed in butter and some stock, so that they are juicy and like a sauce.