Thursday, February 8, 2007

Celery Root and Potato Puree – How can a vegetable this ugly taste so good?

In today’s clip you’ll see a delicious low-carb way to trick out your standard mashed potatoes. By using half celery root, we’ll not only save a bunch of carbs, but more importantly we’ll create something very delicious and unique.

Celery root, also known as Celeriac, is not the root of the common celery plant that you used to garnish your last Bloody Mary, but a special variety cultivated for it extra large and flavorful taproot.

We served this with the Braised Short Ribs and it was sublime! Because of its subtle aromatic character this is the perfect partner to any rich meat dish.

This is one of those vegetable that you didn’t even know they had at your super market… but they do! It’s over by the turnips and rutabagas. They do very in size, but try to make the proportions in this dish about 50% potato to 50% celery root. The small splash of cream I added is optional of course, but the butter is a must!

You know that I’m always telling you to use high-quality whole spices when possible, and the fresh nutmeg I grate on top of this earthy blend really makes the dish. Get some whole nutmeg, and a spice grinder, and see what the big deal is all about.



Ingredients:

1 large celery root
2 russet potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cream or milk
fresh nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1 comment:

Myriam said...

Hi Chef John,
This recipe sounds yummy. Celery root is one of my favorite vegetables. In my family, we eat this raw, grated along with grated carrots and vinegrette, as a sauce. It's a French recipe I think? Anyway, I am sad no one has commented on this recipe. That odd comment you have there sounds like a ad scam or something. Be careful.