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Celery Root Puree
For a slightly more sophisticated spin on mashed potatoes for our holiday menu, we reached for an unlikely candidate: celery root. A once-popular, widely available vegetable, celery root today gets little attention in American kitchens. Perhaps in part because of its intimidating appearance. When cooked and processed, however, this knobby, gnarled root could pass for a classic French potato puree. Celery root—which also goes by the name celeriac—has a delicate flavor and is far less starchy than potatoes. To balance that lightness, we paired it with Yukon Golds to produce a medium-bodied puree. We cooked the vegetables in a mixture of milk and half-and-half, a combination that won’t dilute or mask celery root’s flavor. A stick of butter (it is the holidays, after all) gave the puree a silky texture. We liked the flavors of thyme and garlic, but small amounts of sage, rosemary, bay and marjoram worked, too. The cooled puree can be refrigerated for two days; rewarm in a saucepan over low heat and check the seasoning before serving.
8
Servings
Don’t add too much cooking liquid right away. The moisture content of starchy vegetables can vary greatly, so each puree will vary. If your puree is quite loose, start with just a splash and go from there.
45 minutes
Ingredients
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2
pounds celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
-
1
pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Directions
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01In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the celery root, potatoes, half-and-half, milk, garlic, thyme and 1½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. The mixture will froth and foam and may appear curdled; watch carefully to prevent boiling over.
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I didn't heed the tip about the liquid back in small amounts and it ended up a bit soupy, but still delicious. I used it as a base to place nicely grilled flank steak on top. The next day the Puree had tightened up and was a perfect consistency. So if making ahead - I'd start a bit soupier.