Last time we built a fire for some long and serious lamb cooking, I experimented with various vegetables thrown into the embers to see what would happen. Seasoned, buttered and wrapped in foil, I tried a whole fennel, a sweetheart cabbage, sweetcorn, potatoes and this celeriac, which very much turned out to be the star of the show. I’m a big fan of celeriac in all guises and wish people used it more.
SERVES 4 side, 2 main
• 1 large celeriac, washed
• truffle oil or butter
• salt
• fresh mixed herbs, chopped
If you are cooking this in the fire, wrap the celeriac in a couple of layers of foil and put it in the fire, right into the flames and embers. It doesn’t do it any harm so don’t be nervous. Leave it for 2 hours, turning occasionally.
If you are cooking this in the oven, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6, then just put the celeriac on a baking tray, no need to wrap it, and cook for 2 hours. The celeriac is done when it feels very soft to push a sharp knife or skewer through.
To serve, simply cut the celeriac in half and drizzle with truffle oil or butter and a sprinkle of salt and chopped fresh herbs. Let everyone dig in with a spoon to the soft aromatic flesh that is even better with the addition of the truffle oil.