Craving a warming dish full of rich flavours and autumn aromas? This mash with parsnip, roasted garlic, oyster mushrooms and crispy pancetta brings the season straight to your plate. The tangy pickled apple strips add a surprising freshness and finish the dish perfectly.
Ingredients for autumn mash
1 kg floury potatoes | 400 g parsnips | 1 bulb of garlic | 150 g crème fraîche | 50 g butter | 200 g diced pancetta | 400 g oyster mushrooms | 1 tbsp olive oil | 2 sprigs fresh thyme | 2 firm apples (Elstar or Jonagold) | 100 ml apple cider vinegar | 100 ml water | 1 tbsp sugar | 1 tsp salt | ½ tsp mustard seeds | Fresh thyme leaves | Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Cut the top off the garlic bulb, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and roast for 35–40 minutes until the cloves are soft and golden brown.
Cut the apples into thin matchsticks. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, mustard seeds and optionally a clove to the boil in a stainless steel saucepan. Pour the hot liquid over the apple strips and let them sit for at least 30 minutes. Drain well before serving.
Peel and cut the potatoes and parsnips into even pieces. Boil them in plenty of salted water (about 15–20 minutes) in a stainless steel cooking pot until tender. Drain and add the soft roasted garlic, butter and crème fraîche. Mash until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
Fry the pancetta in a dry stainless steel sauté pan until crispy. Remove from the pan and fry the oyster mushrooms in the remaining fat with the thyme until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the mash onto plates. Top with the oyster mushrooms and crispy pancetta, then add a small nest of pickled apple strips. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and enjoy!
