Celery Root Purée | Low-Carb Mashed Potatoes

I never thought of celery root purée as a low-carb mashed potatoes until I made it — based on David Lebovitz recipe in My Paris Kitchen. In the past, my low-carb mashed potatoes alternative is a cauliflower purée. Cauliflower has become prevalent in my kitchen. It shows up in different shapes and forms: roasted whole, cauliflower cous cous, riced cauliflower and aloo gobi. I need to find another vegetable substitute. Finally, I’ve found it in celery root.

Try to think about it: celery root purée works well as an alternative to hummus too. Aha! Add tahini, lemon juice, cumin, coriander to the purée, it becomes a substantial starter or even a meal in itself, served with warm crusty sourdough bread or pita. Who would have thought what looks like a creature from outer space can morph into so many hearty dishes? Not only that, a few months ago, we made celery root salad and celery root soup, all courtesy from David.

Making the celery root purée is similar to making mashed potatoes. In fact, there is potato in David’s recipe: 3 parts celery root to 1 part potato.

First, peel one celery root and a small potato and slice and cube them to the same size. Add the celery root and potato to the warm milk mixture (2 cups of milk and 2 cups of chicken broth) along with garlic and bay leaf. Bring the liquid just to a boil, then decrease the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the celery root is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Next, ladle the cooked celery root in a blender (I use a Vitamix) and purée it until very smooth. Stir in the butter and a little more liquid, if necessary.

For dinner, I served the celery root purée as a base for some seared scallops and roasted vegetables. The celery root purée was made earlier in the day. There is no problem making the purée in advance. I warmed it up a touch and it’s a perfect accompaniment to any protein.

Ingredients: celery root, potato, milk, chicken stock, garlic, bay leaf, salt, white pepper and butter