Celery mash is made from celeriac (celeriac) and is a delicious low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes. Serve with chicken, steak or lamb and dinner is ready!
Gnarly, dude. That’s the phrase that comes to mind when I think of celery root. It’s actually quite gnarled—a large tuberous root vegetable often tangled with twisted daughter roots.
It can also be tricky to prepare given said knotted roots and the fact that it tends to be tough, butternut squash tough to cut.
How does celery root taste?
That means it’s one of the prettiest things you can eat. It is delicious raw in salads. Cooked, it’s sweet and tastes a little like a parsnip, coincident with some celery ribs.
A low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes
It’s often mashed and mixed with mashed potatoes, but I enjoy it whole, mashed with a little butter and milk or cream. It’s a perfect side dish for lamb, steak or chicken.
What is celery root?
Celery root, also known as celeriac, is a root vegetable. It’s very closely related to celery, but it’s not just the root of celery. It is grown specifically for its bulbous, gnarled roots, which have the texture of potatoes and can be used in soups, stews, salads, and purees.
How to cook celery root
If the celery root still has leaves and hanging roots, trim it off with a sharp knife. There may be some crevices with small roots still stuck to the ground where the hanging roots were. Cut into the crevices and remove any of those little roots.
Then, using a vegetable peeler or knife, peel the outer layer of the celery root. Then, for this recipe, cut the root into 1-inch cubes.
To remove the fibrous bits that can be found inside the celery root, some cooks like to peel or cut any brown spots on the root after it’s peeled. Celery roots that have been harvested more mature can have very fibrous parts inside. If so, cut them out and discard them.
Make it dairy free
Substituting vegan butter and pure plant-based milk makes this recipe easy to make dairy-free and vegan.
What to serve with celery root puree
- Classic baked chicken
- peppercorn steak
- Grilled leg of lamb
- lemon chicken
- Grilled marinated flank steak
More celery root recipes to try!
- Coleslaw made from winter root vegetables
- Celery Root Fennel Soup
- Celeriac cream soup with Brussels sprouts
- Celery Root Salad
- Braised lamb shanks with celery root and rosemary
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Celery Root Puree
ingredients
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Kosher salttaste
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2 lb celery
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1/2 Cup milk or cream
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3 tablespoon unsalted butter
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Chopped celery root leaves, for garnish, optional
method
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Boil the water:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, using 1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 liters of water.
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Peel and dice celery:
While the water is coming to a boil, peel the celery roots with a knife. Cut the celery roots into 1-inch pieces.
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Cook Celery Root:
Add the diced celery root to the boiling water and cook until tender, 25 or 30 minutes.
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Drain and steam celery root:
Drain the pot, return the celery roots to the pot and place on the stove on low. Cover the celery roots and let them steam for a minute or two, shaking the pan a little to prevent sticking.
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Add milk or cream, butter, a generous pinch of salt and puree:
Mash the celery root with a potato masher until as smooth as you like. Season with salt and garnish with the celery leaves, if desired.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 102 | calories |
| 6g | Fat |
| 10g | carbohydrates |
| 2g | protein |
