Celery Root & Potato Purée
This beautiful side dish is a delightful spin on traditional mashed potatoes.
Ingredients:
1-2 celery roots, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1-1½ pounds fingerling potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
2 cups chicken broth or water
2 cups whole milk
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large pot. Add enough water to cover. Sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer with lid slightly ajar until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Drain; return to pot. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Stir over medium heat to dry vegetables. Using potato masher, mash the vegetables until coarsely pureed and then add in the butter. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.
Sautéed Jerusalem Artichokes
This simple method from Saveur allows these artichokes’ natural sweet flavor to shine.
Ingredients:
2½ pounds Jerusalem artichokes
½ lemon
2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Fill a medium pot with water. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon; drop the lemon half into the water. Using a small knife, peel artichokes, one knobby tuber at a time; cut each into 1-inch chunks and drop chunks into the pot. (It’s important to place the freshly cut chunks in the lemon-spiked water as you go to prevent discoloration.)
2. Pour in more water, if necessary, to cover artichokes by 1 inch. Season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, covered; reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, until just tender, 2–4 minutes. Drain and discard lemon.
3. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter just begins to turn golden brown and foam subsides. Add artichokes and spread them out evenly. Cook, without stirring, until golden brown on one side. Then occasionally stir gently until some sides are deep golden brown while some are paler, about 6–8 minutes total. Stir in thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.
