Baked and caramelised celeriac with smoked garlic
Serves: 4
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Ant Duncan
Baked and caramelised celeriac with smoked garlic
Recipe by Ruth Hansom
Celeriac is one of those ingredients that people like but they don’t really know what to do with. They usually just end up mashing it, but North Yorkishire-based chef Ruth Hansom loves using it to make a dauphinoise, and this starter is a nicer, more elegant version of that
Serves: 4
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
214Kcal
Fat
17gr
Saturates
5gr
Carbs
8gr
Sugars
7gr
Fibre
9gr
Protein
3gr
Salt
0.6gr
Ruth Hansom
Ruth's experiences with food and cooking as a girl led her to apprentice at The Ritz. She won the Young National Chef of the Year award in 2017 and is now head chef at The Princess of Shoreditch gastro pub in London.
See more of Ruth Hansom’s recipes
Ruth Hansom
Ruth's experiences with food and cooking as a girl led her to apprentice at The Ritz. She won the Young National Chef of the Year award in 2017 and is now head chef at The Princess of Shoreditch gastro pub in London.
See more of Ruth Hansom’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 whole celeriac (about 650g)
- 2 Taste the Difference Smoked Garlic Cloves, crushed or 2 tsp smoked garlic paste
- 5g fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus an extra 1 tsp
- 20g blanched hazelnuts
- 30g salted butter
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into thin batons
- 1 head red chicory, leaves separated
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Scrub and peel the celeriac. Tightly wrap the whole celeriac in foil, along with one of the crushed garlic cloves (or a teaspoon of smoked garlic paste), the thyme, 1 tablespoon of oil and a liberal amount of salt. Bake for 1 hour or until a sharp knife or skewer goes in with ease. During the last 10 minutes, spread the hazelnuts out onto a baking tray and roast in the oven alongside the celeriac for 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool, then cut each hazelnut in half.
- Unwrap the celeriac and set aside until cool enough to handle. Slice 4 x 1cm-thick discs from the centre of the cooled celeriac and set aside. Roughly chop the remaining celeriac and add to a pan with half the butter and the remaining garlic. Cook over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring often, until golden and softened, then crush with the back of a fork or potato masher. Set aside.
- Put the apple and chicory in a bowl and dress with the cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of rapeseed oil. Season to taste and set aside. Heat the remaining oil and butter in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the celeriac discs for 3 minutes, until golden brown on one side.
- Divide the celeriac discs among serving plates, golden-side up. Spoon over the crushed celeriac, then arrange the salad gently on top and finish with the toasted hazelnuts.
Waste not
Turn celeriac peeling into crisps. Clean thoroughly, peel into long strips and toss the peeling in oil before roasting at a high heat for 10-12 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Enjoy separately or sprinkled over the final dish.
