Introducing…Celery Root!

It has been brought to my attention that I sometimes use some relatively “unusual” foods when I cook. I don’t really think these foods are so much unusual, more that they’re not your standard things to grab from the store, and since some of these foods are on my list of favorites to cook with, I’m going to start sharing information on them and my favorite way to prep them! We’re going to start today with Celery Root!

Celery root, also know as celeriac, is one of my favorite winter veggies to use in recipes. It has a very mild celery taste, and when mashed or pureed, it’s like a very light version of mashed potatoes. It is not actually the root of the standard celery sticks you see in stores, but it is in the celery family.

You can find it in the produce aisle, it’s a winter vegetable so you’ll have better luck finding it in the colder months.

Now for prep, my absolute favorite way to prepare celery root is to make mashed celery root with it. It’s super easy and is a great, healthy, substitute for mashed potatoes!

When you get started with the root you want to give it a good wash and scrub. You will then cut off the exterior skin to reveal the white bulb. I usually give it another quick wash once removing the outer skin.

Next you will cut the celery root into chunks, I usually make them roughly 1”x1”. Place these in a pot and fill the pot with enough water to just cover the celery root.

Next you will bring the water to a boil on the stove over high heat, and let boil for about 30-35 minutes until the celery root is tender enough you can easily pierce a chunk with a fork. Once tender, drain the water leaving the celery root in the pot. You can now mash them, or if you want to add other ingredients you can do that as well. I typically like to put about 1 Tbsp of butter and about 1 tsp of milk in the pot before mashing, but you can mash them without those additions if you’d like. You can also add salt if desired.

Once mashed I like to serve them as a bed to a protein, typically a lemon dill salmon. Something about the slight celery flavor mixed with the lemon dill sauce just makes for a delicious dish!

You can also use celery root other ways, you can roast them or even use them in soup! It’s a fun vegetable to cook with and has a really nice light flavor that makes it a perfect side dish!