Roasted Beet – Celery Root Salad

I’ve been hearing about celery root lately.  I’ve never used it before; I wasn’t even sure what it looked like.  (It doesn’t help that the signs in my produce department aren’t in English.)  After looking at an ugly orb many times and wondering, I finally pulled up a google image to confirm that yes, that was indeed celery root.

Celery root and celery are related but not the same plant.  Celery root is cultivated for its root base, not its leafy stalks.  It has a tough exterior that should be peeled before using.  You’ll notice the scent of celery as you’re cutting into it, but the texture is more like potato.

This salad, which we both really enjoyed, will keep well for a day or two in the fridge; just know that the celery root will take on a hot pink color from the beets.

Ingredients

3 to 6 beets
1 celery root
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons mustard
2 teaspoons minced shallot or onion
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Slice the tops and bottoms off of the beet roots; wrap the beets in foil, bake for approximately 1 hour ad 15 minutes, or until tender.
• Peel the beets once they’re cool and slice into 1/8  inch slabs.
• Slice again, across the slabs, to create a 1/8 inch matchsticks of beets.
• Bake the walnuts on a baking sheet for about 7 minutes.
• While the walnuts are baking, slice the celery root in the same manner as the beets.
• To create the vinaigrette (or you can use a bottled dressing) whisk together the mustard, shallot, and vinegar.
• Continue whisking while gradually adding the oil.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Combine the beets, celery root, walnuts, and toss with the dressing.

Serves 4 to 6

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.