Roasted Celeriac ‘Steaks’ with Sauté of Wild Mushrooms
One of my students exclaimed the first time I taught this in a class, “I love a good steak, but I don’t miss the meat in this at all — it’s incredible!” I was thrilled, as I also LOVE this dish and will use any excuse to find a new vehicle to mound mushrooms on. In this recipe it’s the celeriac ‘steaks.’ Roasting the celeriac caramelizes and intensifies its flavor. It develops a deeply rich, earthy, nutty umami flavor that is transformative with mushrooms. I used some freshly picked chanterelles the first time I made this, which was pure indulgence but absolutely worth the splurge if you find some at the market. Serve these by themselves as a first course, or with a light green salad for an exceptional lunch.
Roasted Celeriac ‘Steaks’ with Sauté of Wild Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 3 pounds celeriac, peeled, trimmed and sliced into ½-inch-thick disks
- Olive oil, extra virgin
- ¼ cup Herbes de Provence
- Coarse sea salt
- Black pepper
- 1½ pounds assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 ounce piece Fontina, or cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover the parchment with the celeriac disks. Drizzle a little olive oil over the disks. Scatter half the Herbes de Provence over them and turn the disks over. Drizzle a little more oil over the disks and sprinkle the remaining herbs over them. Season with 3 pinches of salt and 8–10 grinds of pepper. Roast for 75 minutes or until fork-tender, turning them over halfway through the cooking time.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet placed over medium-high heat. Sauté the mushrooms until just golden brown. Add the chopped parsley and butter and cook for 1 minute more. Leave in the pan.
- Mound the cooked mushrooms on top of each cooked celeriac disk. Grate the cheese over the mushrooms. Return to the oven and cook for 3 minutes so the cheese has just started to melt. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Pascale Beale
Chef, teacher and food writer, Pascale Beale, owner of Pascale’s Kitchen, grew up in an eccentric European family who cherish food, wine and the arts. She is the author of 10 Mediterranean-style cookbooks, including the best sellers Salade and Salade II. Her food memoir, 9’ x 12’: Adventures in a Small Kitchen, a multi-media book, is hosted on Substack. Her latest cookbook is Flavour: Savouring the Seasons.
