ROAST CELERIAC SOUP RECIPES

For the whole roasted celeriac:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan.

2. Pierce the celeriac with a fork all over about 40 times and place on a parchment-lined baking tray. Mix the oil and 3 teaspoons of flaked salt, then rub the celeriac generously with the oil mixture. Roast for a minimum of 2¼ hours, or up to 2¾ hours, depending on the size of your celeriac, basting every 20 minutes or so, until the celeriac is deeply browned, soft all the way through and oozes a celeriac caramel.

3. Leave to rest for 15 minutes, then cut widthways into 2½cm-thick steaks, brushing each cut side with the oil and caramel left on the tray (you may need to add a little more oil if there isn’t enough to coat the cut sides).

For the Café de Paris Sauce

1. Put the first seven ingredients for the sauce and ¼ teaspoon of flaked salt into a small saucepan on a medium heat. Cook for about 6 minutes, swirling the pan until the shallots have softened and the butter has melted and become golden and caramelised. Add the capers, herbs and a very generous grind of pepper and continue to cook for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.

2. Turn the oven to its highest grill setting. Arrange the celeriac steaks, spaced apart, on a large, parchment-lined baking tray big enough to fit the slices in a single layer. The steaks should have been brushed with their cooking oil and celeriac caramel by this point, but if not, brush with some olive oil and a little maple syrup or honey (see p. 54). Make sure there is no overhanging parchment that could burn. Grill the steaks on the top shelf of the oven, until they are golden-brown on top, 6–8 minutes. Turn the oven off, keeping the tray warm in the oven until you’re ready to serve.

3. Return the sauce to a medium heat and gently cook for a minute, then add the cream and lemon juice. Swirl for another 2 minutes or until warm, but don’t mix it too much – you want the sauce to be split, not emulsified.

4. Pour the sauce on to a large platter with a lip and arrange the celeriac steaks on top (or plate individually with some sauce poured on top and the rest served alongside). Sprinkle the steaks with a little flaked salt and black pepper, and serve.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and add 11/2tsp fine salt. Cover and bring to the boil over a high heat, then turn the heat down to medium. Simmer gently (don’t boil) for 15 minutes
until the potatoes are almost cooked. The tip of a small, sharp knife should go in easily without breaking the potato up.

Heat the oven to 200ºC fan (220°C/gas 7).

Drain the potatoes in a colander and shake well, then leave to dry out for a few minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a sturdy roasting pan in the oven until very hot.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. One by one, carefully place the potatoes in the oil (don’t tip them from the colander into the pan or you’ll get splashed with hot oil). Season the potatoes with
a good pinch of fine salt and turn them in the oil until they’re coated, then return the pan to the oven.

Roast the potatoes for 30–40 minutes until crisp and golden. Turn them every 10 minutes, and sprinkle with sea salt about halfway through when they’re starting to colour.

Take the potatoes out of the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot, sprinkled with more sea salt.

Key to perfection
Golden and crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy inside – these are the perfect roast
potatoes. To achieve this result, there are two crucial stages.

1. Once the potatoes are dry, scratch them all over with a fork. By making the flesh rough on the outside, the hot oil will be able to penetrate into the surface quickly, which will make the potatoes crisp.

2. After boiling and draining, the potatoes must be allowed to dry out. Shake them in the colander
to get rid of excess water and lightly break up the outsides, then leave for a few minutes for the steam to escape.

All Is Not Lost
If the potatoes aren’t getting crisp enough towards the end of cooking, put the pan over a high heat on top of the stove, and toss and turn the potatoes until they crisp up.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and add 11/2tsp fine salt. Cover and bring to the boil over a high heat, then turn the heat down to medium. Simmer gently (don’t boil) for 15 minutes
until the potatoes are almost cooked. The tip of a small, sharp knife should go in easily without breaking the potato up.

Heat the oven to 200ºC fan (220°C/gas 7).

Drain the potatoes in a colander and shake well, then leave to dry out for a few minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a sturdy roasting pan in the oven until very hot.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. One by one, carefully place the potatoes in the oil (don’t tip them from the colander into the pan or you’ll get splashed with hot oil). Season the potatoes with
a good pinch of fine salt and turn them in the oil until they’re coated, then return the pan to the oven.

Roast the potatoes for 30–40 minutes until crisp and golden. Turn them every 10 minutes, and sprinkle with sea salt about halfway through when they’re starting to colour.

Take the potatoes out of the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot, sprinkled with more sea salt.

Key to perfection
Golden and crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy inside – these are the perfect roast
potatoes. To achieve this result, there are two crucial stages.

1. Once the potatoes are dry, scratch them all over with a fork. By making the flesh rough on the outside, the hot oil will be able to penetrate into the surface quickly, which will make the potatoes crisp.

2. After boiling and draining, the potatoes must be allowed to dry out. Shake them in the colander
to get rid of excess water and lightly break up the outsides, then leave for a few minutes for the steam to escape.

All Is Not Lost
If the potatoes aren’t getting crisp enough towards the end of cooking, put the pan over a high heat on top of the stove, and toss and turn the potatoes until they crisp up.