Celeriac

What is it?

Celeriac is a relative of celery, cultivated for its edible roots.

It’s often described as being ugly and sometimes as the unsung hero of the vegetable world.  It’s an oddly-shaped, knobbly, root vegetable which has a subtle, celery-like flavour, with nutty overtones.

It’s available all year round but best in the colder months, ie September to April in the UK.

What to do with it

It’s can be used instead of potato in many dishes – it can be cooked in the same way – plus it can be eaten raw in salads. The French are particularly noted for their rémoulade, a salad of which finely grated celeriac is the main ingredient.

It’s less well-known outside France but other typical dishes include using it as a mash, sometimes combined with mashed potatoes, in soups, or anywhere else where the use of root vegetables is appropriate.

Recipe

Try Not Delia’s celeriac and potato mash and celeriac dauphinoise.