Swede chips (rutabaga fries) are nutty and delicious. The honey and mustard coating adds sweetness and a hint of heat, turning a humble root vegetable into a real treat.
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Swede Chips
Autumn and winter mean the shops are well stocked with hearty root vegetables. To keep my menu varied, I like to use them all, making the most of swedes and turnips, as well as carrots, potatoes, celeriac and so on.
There is so more to swede than the bashed neeps served with haggis at a Burns supper. They do mash well, and I love the nutty flavour as a change from potatoes. However, I like variety, hence my gorgeous sticky mustard swede chips (rutabaga fries to the Americans).
These chips are a great way of enjoying this cheap and healthy vegetable. They are sticky, caramelized and warming and are perfect as the nights draw in, a more local variation on sweet potato fries.
Just one thing, though: they don’t go crispy (or at least they don’t in my gas oven). That’s why it’s better to cut them good and thick. I serve them with ketchup, BBQ sauce and mayonnaise.
Swede, Rutabaga or Neeps?
I’ve always called them swedes, but in Scotland they’re neeps or sometimes turnips, and in the USA and Canada, rutabaga. What you need for this recipe is the big round root vegetable, with a purple skin and cream-coloured flesh that turns yellow when cooked. You don’t want white turnips.
Unlike potatoes, swede counts as one of your five-a-day vegetables. It has a lower GI/GL than potato (72/2 rather than 85/14 when boiled).
It also contains more vitamin C, calcium, and folic acid. I love the fact that swede chips come with far fewer food miles than the sweet potato version. While sweet potatoes are usually imported into the UK, cheap and plentiful swedes fill our fields in autumn, and their tops double as animal feed so there is no waste.
How to Make Swede Chips (Rutabaga Fries)
Step one – Grab your ingredients
Step two – three – Prepare the swede – peel, slice and cut into chips. Swede is tough, so you need a good sharp and heavy knife and a certain amount of determination!
You can cut neat, regular chips as we have done here, or go more rustic to use up the whole root.
Step four– Gently simmer the swede chips for about 5–8 minutes in a large saucepan of salted water, until they just start to soften.
The trick is to simmer very gently, with the water barely moving. You don’t want them to fall apart.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/GM 6.
Step five – Drain the swede, and allow to stand for a minute so the water steams off.
Step Six – Transfer to a large roasting tin with the oil. You need plenty of space around the chips so they roast, rather than steam. Turn the chips to coat evenly with oil and roast for 30 minutes. Turn every 10 minutes with a spatula.
Step Seven – Add the honey and mustard. Turn again to coat evenly. Cook for a further 10 minutes (so 40 minutes in total).
The timing of this is important, so don’t try to cheat and add it at the start. Adding the honey and mustard towards the end of cooking makes a delicious sticky coating. If you add it at the start, it burns horribly and sticks to the pan.
Step Eight – Serve immediately, as a side dish or with dips as a snack.
Hints and Tips for Swede Chips/Rutabaga Fries
- You can cut the chips ahead of time and keep in a bowl of water in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, freeze the chips once cut and roast from frozen. If you do this, add an extra 10 minutes to the cooking time.
- The chips will have an uneven shape, thanks to the shape of the swede. If you prefer uniform chips, cut off the edges to make a cube and cut your chips from that.
- The trimmings will keep in a bowl of water in the fridge for a day. If you want to keep them longer, dice and freeze them. Use them up in mash, either on the side or as a topping for a pie. Alternatively, add to stews, soups, vegetable bakes and cobblers. Or you could experiment with vegetable crisps (chips to the Americans!).
- Trimmings can also be used to make my tasty swede soup spiced with ras el hanout.
Recipe Variations
- Make it vegan by swapping the honey for maple syrup.
- Toss the chips with grated Parmesan or other Italian hard cheese and some rosemary instead of the honey and mustard.
More Swede Recipes
Swede Chips (Rutabaga Fries) With Sticky Mustard Coating
Ingredients
- 1 swede (rutabaga)
- 2 tsp honey
- 2Â tsp grain mustard ((heaped))
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the swede. Cut into half, then quarters. Slice each quarter lengthwise, and cut into batons.
- Boil the swede chips very gently in a large saucepan of salted water for about 5–8 minutes, until they just start to soften. Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/GM 6.
- Drain the swede and transfer to a large roasting pan with the oil. Turn with a spatula to coat each chip evenly. Place in the oven.
- Every 10 minutes or so, turn the chips.
- After 30 minutes, add the honey and mustard. Turn the chips so they're evenly coated with the mustard mixture. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately, as a side dish or with dips as a warming snack.Â
Notes
- The chips will have an uneven shape thanks to the shape of the swede. For uniform chips, trim the edges of the swede and cut the chips from the centre of the vegetable. Dice and freeze the trimmings, and add to stews, soups, and vegetable bakes and cobblers. Alternatively, make swede mash as a side dish or as a topping for cottage pie.
- If you don't eat honey, use maple or agave syrup.
- You can cut the chips ahead of time and store in a bowl of water in the fridge overnight.
- This recipe is 4 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion.
Add swede trimmings to our no fat slow cooker vegetable soup
And serve the chips with easy sticky lamb chops.
Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2011, but was rewritten and republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions and hints & tips in September 2019.
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
Definitely the most interesting use of swede I can ever recall seeing. One to try in future…
purely food
These sound delicious and not something I would think to cook at all.
Antonia
These look very tempting. I agree that it can be hard to think of good uses for the humble swede. Mind you, with Burns Night coming up this week, there is a good excuse to use some up with the haggis and tatties!
Monica
Hah! Someone pointed me to this on Twitter after I posted: “another week, another @riverford box, another mystery – how do you solve a problem like a fridge full of swedes?” This looks like a pretty good solution. Though I think I’ve tried something similar before and the swede sticks were a bit, um, floppy when they came out of the oven. How do these hold up?
DrDave
Had these tonight, with burgers and salad – definitely the tastiest thing I’ve done with ‘bl**dy swede’ – thanks a million for the recipe! They were a bit limp and sticky rather than crunchy and chippy, I might try skipping the parboil stage next time, but it may be only the potato that can produce that texture. [Also, I don’t think I had a particularly giant swede, but I used twice the quantities of honey and mustard.]
Helen
Thanks Dr Dave.
I’ll make it again and edit if needed!
Alicia (Foodycat)
This is so clever! My heart also sank when I saw another bloody swede in the veg box, but at least now I have a plan for it.
Helen
I frequently leave my swede behind at the fruit and veg co-op! Hope you like them!
Sarah
This recipe is a blast from the past! It was recommended in this week’s veg box email. Not another bloody swede indeed – but I look forward to giving this a go.
Helen
Oh how funny! I’d better redo and update the photos!
Caroline Jessop
I love making these Helen, and my children eat them eagerly. Such a good alternative to potato, and really tasty.
Neil Barns
Swede reminds me of awful dinners as a child, I used to hate it so much. I discovered much nicer ways than simply over boiling it and this sounds like a recipe I am really going to enjoy.
Kaitlin
I am always lost with ideas when it comes to swede. We almost always have it mashed with carrot. Would love to try these out, something different and look really tasty.
Helena
I can vouch that these are truly delicious. Am so glad to have found this recipe as I cannot eat potato and I miss having chips.
Adrianne
Yum, how good do these look. Good enough to eat that is for sure! The mustard sounds perfect for the seasoning as well. Cheers!
Farah
These look absolutely delicious! What an amazing flavor combination. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Paula Montenegro
I don’t think I ever tasted rutabagas, or swedes as you call them (a word I had never heard before), but you make them look amazing! This is a must-try! I love this idea.
Edyta
This is awesome. I was always a little skeptical about this veggie, but I gave it a try and we loved it. Thanks for sharing all the tips!
Helen
So glad you enjoyed them!
Veronica
I haven’t cooked with Swede chips before and I’m keen to try out this recipe to see how they taste, I’m sure the chips would taste just as scrumptious a they look in the picture!
Cally Gray
I love the idea of making swede chips, we sometimes make carrot and parsnip fries. Always popular with the kids. (especially if we get purple carrots).
Faye Henderson
I would never have guessed that you could make chips from swede. I really have learnt something new today. They do look yummy on the photos.
Phoebe
Yum Yum Yum,
Turned out amazing! A really interesting and different use that I’ve never encountered before.
Thanks xx
T Pot
Theses are a really nice way to use swede, apart from the usual mash with tomatoes.
I roasted them as advised, though added finely grated cheese about 15 mins before taking them out of the oven, this made them lovely & crispy, with a delish flavour. Give them a go.
Indre
Loved these swede chips! I didn’t know you could make swede into chips, they taste a bit like sweet potato chips. I didn’t use honey and mustard, instead spiced with salt, pepper, cayenne and some cheese on top :P
Helen
that sounds an excellent variation!