Mustard Roasted Celery Root and Potato Salad

Hey there folks.  When’s the last time you bought a vegetable that you didn’t know what to do with?  It’s a heck of a way to expand your repertoire, and a good way to get in touch with what your grocer/farmer has on hand that’s seasonal and inexpensive.  One of my favorite sites is 101cookbooks.com.  You can do a search by ingredient and come up with a list of dishes that include what you’re looking for.  And I love her site as a starting point because the recipes tend to get high marks in the tasty, healthy, and whole foods departments.

The bad boy pictured above, however, is not in that ingredient list.  I call it celery root, but wikipedia just schooled me and let me know that it’s technically “celeraic.” Excusez-moi, wikipedia.  So celery root, sorry, celeriac is a root vegetable, and word on the street is that it’s high in fiber, way less starchy than many other root vegetables, and is low on the glycemic index.  There’s lots more exciting nutritional information at the bottom of this post for all of you nerds out there.

Celeriac is fresh and crisp when thinly sliced and tossed into a salad, perfect in soups, and takes on a bit of sweetness when roasted.  This recipe looks a lot like my other potato salad recipe, so feel free to mix ideas.  The difference is the subtle sweetness in the celery root, and of course, the favorable nutritional differences.

• Thinly slice the sun dried tomatoes and place them in a small bowl with the lemon juice and 2 T of olive oil.  Set aside so that the tomatoes can rehydrate.
• Whisk together the mustard and 3 T of olive oil in a large mixing bowl and preheat the oven to 350.
• Add celeriac and potatoes to the mustard mixture and toss to coat.  Turn out onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake until cooked through and golden on the edges – about 25 minutes.
• When the vegetables are finished roasting, combine them in the large mixing bowl with the parsley, onion, and sun dried tomato mixture.  Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Serve over fresh spinach leaves and garnish with sprouts.  Enjoy!