PARSNIPS

PARSNIP, CELERIAC AND POTATO MINI BAKES

Looks matter. Perhaps this is why bulbous, knobby celeriac is considered a ne’er-do-well, a bit of a rough-around-the-edges veggie and too often overlooked. But looks can be deceiving. Lurking under the skin, celeriac has a powerful flavour of celery meets walnuts with sweet notes of aniseed. And it refuses to be bullied by other strong flavours and spices.

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes | COOKING TIME: 35 minutes | SERVES: 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large potato

1 large parsnip

1 small celeriac (celery root)

sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons butter, melted

½ cup (125 ml/4 fl oz) milk

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (fan 160°C/315°F). Lightly grease a medium 6-cup muffin pan with oil. Cut 12 × 8 cm (3¼ in) strips of baking paper and criss-cross two strips in each muffin cup.

Peel the potato, parsnip and celeriac. Cut the celeriac n half and then slice all the vegetables as thinly as possible (ideally, use a food processor with a slicing blade).

Place the vegetable slices in a bowl, and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the melted butter and milk over the top, then toss gently to thoroughly coat the vegetables. Layer the mixture into the muffin cups, pressing down lightly with your hand until each is full. Pour any remaining milk mixture over the tops and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the vegetables are golden and cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edges. Lift out using the paper strips.

TIP Once the celeriac is peeled, the crisp, snow-white flesh can be kept pristine with a splash of lemon juice. Unlike other root veggies, celeriac makes a sloppy mash so it’s best to mix it with its weight of potato to produce a satiny mash.