Cured celeriac with bourbon peppercorn sauce
photo credit: BBC food
For the Celeriac
2ish lbs Celeriac, peeled and cleaned
3 oz. fine salt (or slightly more if using kosher salt)
1.5 oz light brown sugar
1 tsp fennel seed (or something you prefer)
¼ tsp black pepper
3 tbps olive oil
For the Sauce
3 tbsp butter
2 shallots or 1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp crushed green peppercorn
1 tsp black peppercorn
1 tsp dried tarragon or dried basil
¼ tsp paprika
½ tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp tamari
¼ cup of bourbon (or substitute 1 tbsp maple syrup)
⅓ cup of cream
salt
To cure, take your cleaned celeriac and cut it into quarters, or roughly 2” wedges. Lay out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mix salt, sugar, fennel seed and pepper in a small bowl, then scatter evenly over celeriac wedges. Cover baking sheet with a clean towel and leave to cure for 1½ hrs at room temp. Liquid drawn from celeriac will mix with the dry ingredients to create a brine-y solution and slightly reduce the size of your wedges.
Preheat oven to 400℉. After curing, rinse celeriac under cold running water and pat dry. Discard curing mixture, then arrange celeriac on baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Do not further season the celeriac at this point as the salt has worked its way into it. Roast for 20 minutes, turn the wedges over, then roast an additional 25-30 minutes until celeriac is slightly caramelized.
While celeriac roasts, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot, sprinkle with salt, and fry, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in peppercorns and toast until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tarragon, paprika, nutritional yeast, tamari, stir to combine, then add bourbon. Bring to a simmer and reduce to cook off alcohol. Pour in a ¼ cup of water and simmer gently for 5 minutes, then add cream, and continue to simmer gently until sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add salt to taste.
Serve celeriac wedges warm with a few spoonfuls of sauce on top. This pairs well with some more mildly seasoned roast potatoes or beets which you can cook alongside the celeriac if you choose, or as an accompaniment to a cut of meat, or on top of a bed of peppery greens. Or all of these things at once!
