Celeriac Mash

Last Updated on June 4, 2015 by Chef Mireille

Celery Root, also known as Celeriac is not the most common vegetable.

 I first encountered it when I was working as a cook in a tea house here in NY.  We made a celery root slaw, that accompanied many of our sandwiches.
Celery root is a very versatile vegetable. If grated, it can be eaten raw, as in the aforementioned slaw.  However, it can also be cooked and eaten in a variety of ways – roasted, fried, boiled, mashed, etc. This vegetable is commonly eaten in Scandinavian countries, as well as northeastern European countries.  It is a starchy vegetable like a potato, but has a strong celery taste.  It is perfect for those who like the flavor of celery, but don’t like the mouthfeel of it.  For those that complain that celery is too stringy, this is a perfect alternative.

Celeriac Mash

• 1 large celery root, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
• 2 small potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seed
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more according to your preference)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

In a large pot, combine celery root, potato, celery seed and caraway seed.

Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Cook until vegetables are tender.
Drain and mash immediately.
Add cream, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.

Garnish with more red pepper, if desired.  The amount of pepper in the recipe is very mild, as is typical in Scandinavia, so if you like spicy food, you will definitely need to add more.

The spices used in this complement fish well, so this is a perfect side dish to go with your favorite fish.
Here, I ate it with some pre-cooked minced trout that I buy from my local food co-op and the Beet-Asparagus salad I posted a few days ago.  They went perfect with the celery root mash.

Chef Mireille