Whole roasted celeriac with hazelnuts, sourdough croutons and greens
Roasting celeriac whole gives you a crunchy skin and a soft buttery centre.
Ingredients
- 1 celeriac, scrubbed
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ tbsp salt
- 2 juniper berries
- 250ml/9fl oz white wine vinegar
- 250g/9oz sugar
- 2 pink or yellow beetroots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 slices sourdough bread, cut into cubes
- 4 tbsp butter
- ½ tbsp sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 1 bunch pea shoots
- 1 bunch celery leaves
- 250g/9oz hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
Rub the celeriac with the unsalted butter and half a tablespoon of salt and wrap in aluminium foil. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.
Meanwhile, crush the juniper berries with a mortal or the back of a knife. Put in a saucepan with the white wine vinegar, sugar and a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Add 500ml/18fl oz cold water.
Put the beetroots in the pickling liquid and set aside for 30 minutes.
To make the croutons, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat.
Fry the cubes of bread for 5–10 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Season with salt and pepper.
In the same pan, make the brown butter sauce. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cook until golden brown. Add the sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
Mix together the pickled beetroot slices, peashoots and celery leaves. Dress with a little of the pickling liquid.
To serve, cut the celeriac into quarters. Dive between four plates and top with the croutons, hazelnuts, salad and a drizzle brown butter sauce.