Mashed Yukons & Turnips with Buttery Vegan Sage Spread

Among comfort foods, mashed potatoes, I'm guessing, rank in the top 10 for most people, including me.  That velvety, creamy mouthful that is a mash of potatoes, milk, butter, and salt is part of the food memory of generations of Americans. On Thanksgiving day, there will be generous bowls of mashed and creamed potatoes on many tables; and it be on my table too, but I'm including turnips in the mash. My family and I love the slight peppery flavor that mashed turnips bring to the mild potato. 

This version of mashed potatoes and turnips is made lighter with the replacement of unsweetened soy milk for regular (cow's) milk and with a buttery vegan spread instead of butter. This Thanksgiving, we're having a vegan guest, but  I'm very comfortable cooking vegan recipes since I prepare vegan meals at least three times a week.

I started with Yukon Gold potatoes and turnips and cut each in chunks before boiling in water for 15 minutes. 

Fresh sage is sometimes difficult to find in late fall, but should be easy to find now, since it's closer to the holidays. 

Minced the sage as finely as possible before adding it to the buttery vegan spread. I transferred the buttery sage spread to a ramekin for serving...

...but I also prepared vegan sage butter (with actual butter) to freeze and use later.

Recipe: Mashed Yukons & Turnips with Buttery Vegan Sage Spread (Serves 6)

Ingredients

Potato/Turnip Mash

3 pounds (4 large) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into similar-sized chunks

1 1/2 pounds (3 medium) turnip roots, peeled and cut into similar-sized chunks

1 cup unsweetened soy milk, hot

Salt and cracked white pepper to taste

Buttery Vegan Thyme Spread

1/4 cup (2 ounces) vegan buttery spread (I used Earth Balance)

1 sprig sage, minced

Directions

Potato/Turnip Mash

1. Boil potatoes and turnips together in a 9-quart stockpot or in a pot large enough to fit the vegetables. 
2. Test vegetables after 10 minutes by piercing several of the potato and turnip chunks with a fork. If the fork pierces the vegetables easily, they are ready to be mashed. If the vegetables are still too hard to be pierced with a fork, boil for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Drain vegetables and rinse immediately add the hot milk and begin mashing with a potato masher or large, metal whisk. Eliminate as many clumps as possible during mashing without over mashing the vegetables--which may cause them to become glue-like in appearance. 
4. Season with salt and pepper and add the buttery vegan thyme spread when serving.

Buttery Vegan Thyme Spread

1. Place vegan buttery spread in small bowl.
2. Add minced sage and stir gently to distribute herb throughout the spread.
3. Top each serving with a spoonful of the buttery vegan sage spread.