Sausages
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 350g swede, peeled and cut into chunks
- 450g old potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 350g carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 large leeks, cleaned and sliced
- 1 (85g) bag watercress, roughly chopped
- 8 premium sausages
- Onion gravy, to serve
Method
- Cook the potatoes and swede in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes until both are tender. Drain, then return to the pan and lightly break up with a fork.
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the leeks and fry for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, swede and carrots continue to cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture has begun to brown slightly. Stir in the watercress and cook for 2 minutes more, until wilted. Season to taste.
- Meanwhile cook the sausages under a hot grill for about 10 minutes, turning until browned all over and cooked through. Serve the bubble and squeak hot with the sausages and onion gravy if liked.
Nutritional information
Eating lots of leeks has been shown to reduce 'bad' cholesterol and at the same time increase levels of 'good' cholesterol. This is important for preventing the build up of blood vessel plaques that are found in some types of heart disease. If the plaques grow too large or rupture, they can cause a heart attack or stroke.
Swede is an excellent source of vitamin C, providing over half of the recommended amount (RNI) in a raw serving. It also provides small amounts of the minerals calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and manganese.
Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A, which helps eyesight, skin, growth and helps the body fight infection. They are also a good source of vitamins K, C, B6, B1 and B2, and the minerals calcium and potassium.
Potatoes are a starchy carbohydrate. This food group, which also includes breakfast cereals, oats, breads, pasta and rice should make up about a third of your diet. But you may not know that potatoes are also quite high in protein. For example, a large portion of new potatoes contains almost as much protein as half a glass of milk. Potatoes also contain vitamin C and vitamin B1.
Apples, broccoli and tomatoes are often cited as 'super' fruit and vegetables, but gram for gram, watercress is a better source of vitamins C, B1,B6, K and E, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese and zinc. Only raw broccoli has more vitamin C and magnesium, but it is more often eaten cooked in this country.
Watercress is brimming with folate, beta-carotene and vitamin A, which are important antioxidants meaning that they can mop up potentially damaging free radicals. These nutrients are also important for healthy skin and eyes. Watercress contains more than four times the amount of beta-carotene than other well-known 'super' foods.
Watercress is recognised as a source of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are types of carotenoids that may be important for eye health.
Quercetin, a type of flavonoid and a powerful antioxidant, is also found in greater quantities in watercress than broccoli and tomatoes. New research shows that watercress is emerging as a potentially important player in the field of cancer prevention.
Our thanks to 'I'm in season' for permission to use this recipe