Side Dishes/ Vegetables

Roasted Celery Root (Celeriac) and Sweet Potato with Marjoram and Thyme

Cubed celery root and sweet potatoes on green glass plate on gray and white cloth with white napkin

Celery root, or celeriac, shows up in supermarkets in the fall and hangs around through the winter. It’s not a pretty vegetable, but it has a distinctive tart flavor, midway between celery and parsley, and a nice firm texture. Try to buy smaller celeriac. The larger ones can be quite tough and woody.

Like most root vegetables, celeriac tastes best roasted, to bring out the natural sugars. The British like to make it into a classic cream soup, but I prefer it cubed and roasted, paired with sweet potato for a nice tart-sweet contrast.

To even out the roasting time (sweet potatoes cook faster than celeriac), I drop the celeriac into a pot of boiling water for two minutes before putting it into the roasting pan.

Roasted Celery Root (Celeriac) and Sweet Potato with Marjoram and Thyme

By Springhouse Turtle Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 1 hour

Despite its name, celery root (celeriac) is not the root of the celery plant. It's a root vegetable similar to a turnip with a celery-like flavor that pairs nicely with sweet potato.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium celery root (celeriac)
  • 1 medium to large sweet potato
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/8 teaspoon marjoram

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2

In a small saucepan, heat 2 cups of water to boiling.

3

Peel and dice celery root and sweet potato.

4

Drop the celery root (not the sweet potato) into the boiling water for 2 minutes.

5

Lift the celeriac out of the water with a slotted spoon and put it into a baking dish.

6

Add the sweet potato and spread the vegetables out in a single layer.

7

Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables.

8

Sprinkle thyme and marjoram on top.

9

Salt and pepper to taste.

10

Toss until evenly coated.

11

Roast at 425 degrees F for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

12

The vegetables are done when they are soft, but still hold their shape.

13

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Celeriac (celery root) is not a pretty vegetable. Scrubbing reveals its mostly green skin.

washed whole celery root nubby green and light brown surface on wood counter

Peeling the celeriac reveals its celery scent and white flesh. It has a tart flavor midway between celery and parsley.

partly peeled celery root with peeler and peels on wood cutting board

The tart flavor of celeriac pairs well with sweet potato’s mild sweetness.

peeled sweet potato next to peeled celeriac on wood cutting board

Cube the celeriac and sweet potato, parboil the celeriac cubes for 2 minutes, then toss both with olive oil, marjoram and thyme before roasting.

Cubed celeriac and sweet potatos tossed with thyme and marjoram in a white ceramic baking dish

Springhouse Turtle Eats

Newsletter

You Might Also Like

No Comments

Leave a Reply