BBB Bangers ‘n Mash – Celeriac style

Training: Run 5km

When I started the Mystery Box challenge, it was a means for me to get creative in the kitchen. It was also a way in which I could learn about different ingredients, and cook with some I had never heard of.

Tonight's Mystery Box ingredient was certainly one of those...

Celeriac!

Did you know? Celeriac (also known as 'knob celery') is a member of the celery family, with a tuberous brown-skinned root and white flesh. Although not the prettiest of vegetables, it has a mild yet distinctive flavour, reminiscent of celery and parsley. Celeriac is a good source of fibre, vitamin K and folate.

While I am pretty sure I have eaten celeriac in restaurants, I have never bought or cooked it. So much so, that when I went in search of celeriac over the weekend, I found myself looking for something resembling a swede or turnip.  How wrong I was!

So, what to do with these rather large bulbous creatures?

A celeriac mash seemed to be the most logical choice. First I removed the base and tops so the would sit flat.

I then peeled the celeriac by cutting down the sides, close to the skin.

Chopped the remaining flesh into cubes…

And placed them straight into a saucepan filled with water.

(Along with a few lemon slices to the water to prevent the celeriac from discolouring!).

Boiled for 15 minutes, then in went the potato, and boiled for another 15 minutes.

Once soft, I drained the celeriac and potato, returned them to a pot over a low heat and added the butter, milk and garlic.

Mashed until smooth and creamy.

And while this may look like your regular mashed potato…

The taste was anything but.

The celeriac had a mild yet distinctive flavour…

Taking the usual ‘mash’ from fine to fab!

And, to finish off what was fast becoming a hearty comforting meal, I served the celeriac mash with some homemade sausages from our local butcher…

Together with and a decent serving of peas,

And a drizzle of tahini sauce (aka. ‘gravy’)

BBB 'bangers and mash' .... celeriac-style :)

Delish!

Celeriac Mash (serves 4)

• 2 celeriacs, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 lemon, sliced
• 1 potato, peeled and cubed
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup milk

1. Cook celeriac, with lemon, in large saucepan of boiling water for 15 minutes. Add potato and continue to boil until the celeriac and potato are very tender, about 15 minutes longer.
2. Drain the celeriac and potatoes and remove the lemon slices.
3. Return the celeriac / potato to the same saucepan, and stir over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes or until any excess liquid in the pan has evaporated.
4. Add milk, garlic and butter, and mash until mixture is almost smooth. Feel free to pass the mash through a potato ricer at this point to make it even smoother (I don’t have one so my mash was not quite as smooth as I was hoping for)
5. Season to taste.

What about you? Have you ever cooked with celeriac?

Happy Baking :)