Celeriac remoulade

Celeriac may not be beautiful but it has great versatility. This subtly celery-flavoured root vegetable makes a great mash, braises perfectly in slow-cooked dishes, roasts and can also be eaten raw. This classic French dish is great as a starter or side dish.

Ingredients

1	Celeriac, large (Main)
3 Tbsp	Mayonnaise
2 tsp	Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp	Creme fraiche, or use sour cream
½ cup	Fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 to taste	Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Peel celeriac and rub it with lemon juice to stop it browning and cut the root in half.
2. Sit the flat side on a board and with a sharp knife make fine slices working from one side to the other.
3. Taking a few slices at a time, cut into match stick-sized pieces and drizzle with lemon juice.
4. Mix together mayonnaise, cream fraiche or sour cream, Dijon mustard and chopped parsley.
5. Fold this mix through the celeriac strips and season with salt and pepper.

Chef's notes

To prepare it, cut off the top and bottom with a sharp knife and then peel. It's a tough old vegetable to work with and needs a firm hand. Once peeled or cut, it will quickly discolour, so have half a lemon on hand and squeeze the juice over the celeriac. Cube the root to add to casseroles or stews. Celeriac will take around 40 minutes to roast. To make a mash, peel and chop and cook until soft in salted water for about 20 minutes. Drain and mash with olive oil or butter and a good amount of fresh ground pepper and salt. It makes a great soup vegetable, either on its own or with others in pureed or chunky vegetable soups. If using celeriac on its own for a soup, make it smooth with some cream and garnish with celery seeds and finely grated parmesan.