05 Feb celeriac rösti

Though last weekend’s cold spell seems to have eased off somewhat, we are still most certainly in the midst of winter. That means our root vegetables, such as parsnip, turnip and celeriac, are the current kings of our pantries.

The celeriac is the most unapologetically unattractive of all root vegetables. They are heavy, bulky beasts begging to be appreciated but easily overlooked when sat next to its prettier peers of cauliflower and swedes. This knobbly root vegetable is proof that you should never judge a book by its cover. Once you peel away its tough exterior and give its flesh a good roasting or frying, it reveals its delicately sweet flavour.

Recently, I’ve been craving rösti, the traditional Swiss dish that introduces parcels of grated potato to a frying pan full of melted butter. These crispy potato cakes make fantastic comfort food, especially paired with a well-cooked egg or some smoked fish. Rösti are usually made with potato, but I’ve introduced celeriac to this recipe to great effect. The celeriac brings a whole new flavour profile to these crispy treats. It’s a simple supper that works at any time of day.

I’ve paired my small, crispy röstis with hot smoked salmon, an ingredient that I have grown fond of in recent mealtimes. It’s a great way to add substance to a quick supper, especially if you’re looking for a change from regular (or “cold”) smoked salmon. The difference between hot smoked salmon and cold smoked salmon is simply that the fish is cooked before it’s cured. This recipe only requires a quarter of a celeriac so use the rest of it for a lovely celeriac soup, mash, or in a remoulade.

celeriac rösti 

Serves 2

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Quarter of a celeriac

1 small potato

Half a small onion

1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard

Pinch of salt and pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon of plain flour

1 knob of butter

50g of hot smoked salmon

2 tablespoons of crème fraîche

2 lemon wedges

Method

1. Peel the quarter piece of the celeriac and then roughly grate it into a large mixing bowl. Peel and roughly grate the potato into the bowl. Use your hands to squeeze out any water from the grated celeriac and potatoes. This will help the röstis stick together. Peel the onion and roughly grate it into the mixing bowl.

2. Add the mustard, salt, pepper, olive oil, and flour to the mixing bowl and mix into the celeriac, potato and onion really well.

3. Heat another the knob of butter in a large, non-stick frying pan. Get a heaped tablespoon of the celeriac mixture and flatten the tablespoon with your hand to form a rösti. This mixture should give you between 6 to 8 rösti.

4. When the butter is melted (but not burnt), place 3 or 4 rösti in the frying pan. Fry for 5 minutes on each side or until browned and cooked through. Once cooked, remove from the pan and keep warm until ready to serve.

5. Next, fry the remaining rösti for five minutes on each side, adding a little more butter to the pan between frying if needs be. You should get 6 to 8 rostis from this mix. 6. Serve the rösti topped with flaked hot smoked salmon, a dollop of crème fraîche and the lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.

Storecupboard Essential: Hot Smoked Salmon Ok, so you won’t exactly be leaving this in your cupboard but hot smoked salmon is a brilliant Fridge Essential. Order Irish organic salmon online from The Burren Smokehouse in County Clare. www.burrensmokehouse.com