Scalloped Celeriac and Potatoes

Celeriac, aka celery root, is the bulbous root cousin of stalk celery. The ugly, knobby exterior hides a flesh with the texture of a potato (though much less starchy) and the flavor of mild celery. Because of this, it makes a great base for soups, stews, roasts, and mashes. It can also be eaten raw. One of the traditional French ways of eating it is to make a delicious slaw called Celeriac Remoulade–shredded celery root with lemon juice, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and black pepper. No matter what you do with your celeriac, you’ll want to slice off the rough outer skin before using it (but save clean skin and stems for soup stock!)

One go-to winter vegetable recipe that works especially well with celeriac is to make “scalloped fill in the blank.” The basic technique is to slice root vegetables and/or winter squash into thin rounds, layer the rounds in a casserole or skillet, then bake until the top and edges get crispy. Fancier versions include adding buttery bread crumbs and cheese to the top to make it a gratin or a creamy béchamel sauce. Any combination of root vegetables will do. This time, I kept it simple with potatoes and celeriac, but feel free to throw in parsnips, turnips, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, or any fresh herbs you have.