Celery Root Puree
The celery root is an ugly, dirty vegetable…but it also proves the rule that you shouldn’t judge a book by the cover, because you can make some damn good food with them. In this recipe video, I show you how to make a celery root puree – which is basically a take on traditional mashed potatoes. I make my celery root puree with about 50% celery root, and 50% potato, in the same style as mashed potatoes; the result is a smooth, creamy puree that tastes just slightly of celery – which is one of the great things about it. The celery flavor is there, but it’s subtle; so that you know you’re eating something more “elegant” than mashed potato, without thinking your munching on a celery stalk. You can use the celery root puree, pretty much anywhere you’d use mashed potatoes. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Recipe overview and Keys to Success
To make the best Celery Root Puree you need to know just a few things:
- The celery root and potato should cook in about the same amount of time; provided they are cut about the same size. But you do want to watch them, and if they are cooking at different rates, just remove whichever is cooked first from the water
- As you make the puree, slowly add the butter and cream; the salt and pepper. Taste as you go, as it’s always easy to add more.
- Don’t over blend. You’ll want to get a nice smooth consistency, but if you blend them too long, the puree can get gummy; again, taste as you go.
RECIPE FOR CELERY ROOT PUREE
Ingredients (for 4)
- 1 Celery root
- 1 large russet potato
- 1 pint of heavy cream (use milk for a lighter version)
- 4 – 5 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper
Making the Celery Root Puree
- Clean the celery root, and chop it into pieces that are ~2 inches square; put them into a pot of room temperature water
- Peel the potato, and chop it into pieces the same size; put them into the same pot
- Put the pot on the heat, and bring to a simmer
- Cook the celery root and potato until tender
- Drain them from the water and put them into a food processor with a few tablespoons of cream and half the butter
- Season with a salt and pepper, and pulse a few times to start the puree
- Scrape down the sides, and blend until smooth
- At any time you can add more cream/butter to add more flavor, and to create a smoother texture; taste the puree a couple times to determine if you should add more
- Once smooth you’re good to go; you can easily make this ahead of time, and hold it for a hour or so; or several hours in the fridge. When ready, you can re-heat it, maybe with a bit more cream to help loosen the puree
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