Root Vegetable Gratin

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for baking dish

1½ cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs

1½ cups grated Parmesan, divided

2 Tbsp. Thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 celery root, peeled, sliced thin

1 rutabaga, peeled, sliced thin

1 turnip, peeled, sliced thin

1-pound Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Make sure the root vegetables are cut the same thickness to ensure even cooking

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Butter a shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs; cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and toss with ½ cup parmesan and 1 Tbsp thyme leaves; season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring cream, broth, 1 Tbsp thyme, and remaining 2 Tbsp butter to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit 10 minutes. Cover; keep warm.

Toss vegetables in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Arrange ⅓ of vegetables in dish and top with ½ cup parmesan. Repeat layers; top with remaining vegetables. Pour cream mixture over; place a piece of parchment paper directly on top of gratin.

Bake until vegetables are crisp-tender and cream is thickened, check at 45 minutes to see if fork tender. If ready then uncover, top with breadcrumb mixture, and bake until gratin is bubbling and breadcrumbs are brown, 15–20 minutes longer. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Roasted Root Vegetable Stew

2-3 pounds of root vegetables such as rutabaga, turnip, potatoes, carrots, daikon radish, and celery root, peeled and cut into chunks

1 head of garlic, the cloves separated and peeled

6 Tbsp olive oil, divided 3 Tbsp and 3 Tbsp

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste

1 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes

2 cups (packed) of chopped napa cabbage

2 Tbsp parsley chopped

Black pepper to taste

Tabasco sauce (optional, to taste)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Into a large roasting pan, mix together the vegetables, garlic, 3 Tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.  Roast for 45 minutes, turning the vegetables over in the pan halfway through cooking.

Meanwhile, in a 4 to 5 quart Dutch oven, heat 3 Tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté until the edges of the onions just begin to brown. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook a minute longer. Using your hands, tear the canned tomatoes into large pieces as you add them to the pot. Add the remaining liquid from the can into the pot. Stir well. Add the parsley. Bring to a simmer, and then lower the heat to the lowest possible setting. Cover the pot and let cook gently while the root vegetables are roasting.

When the root vegetables are ready (they should be browned on the edges and easily pierced with a fork), remove from the oven. Add chopped leafy greens to the pot of tomatoes. Simmer until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the root vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Season with Tabasco to taste if using.

Potato and Celeriac Gratin

1 lb superior potatoes, scrubbed clean

1 celeriac, scrubbed clean and peeled

1 yellow onion, sliced thin

½ bunch Parsley finely chopped

1 pint of milk 

1 tbsp butter

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325˚F.

Bring milk up to just barely a simmer over medium heat then reduce to low heat

Thinly slice the potatoes and the peeled celeriac.

Add sliced onion, potatoes and celeriac to the warmed milk and simmer for about 10 minutes.

With a slotted spoon remove the vegetables from the pan and place in a bowl. 

Add the parmesan and parsley to the reduced milk and continue cooking on low for 2-3 minutes. 

Butter an oven safe dish and place the vegetable mixture in and spread out evenly. 

Pour the milk over the vegetable mixture and give it a quick stir to ensure the herbs are spread out and the pan is even.

Bake covered at 325˚F for 30 minutes. Remove cover and reduce heat to 250˚F and cook for 30 minutes more. 

Remove from oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Indian Style Potato and Celeriac Latkes

2 celeriac roots, peeled with a knife

1 1/2 lb russet (baking) potatoes 

1/2 cup celery tops, minced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2-3 red onions, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground celery seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp chili powder

About 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 250°F.

Coarsely grate celery root into a bowl using a box grater.

Peel potatoes and coarsely grate into a large bowl. Add lemon juice and toss. Coarsely grate onions into same bowl.

Transfer to towel, then gather up corners to form a sack and twist tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible.

Return potatoes and onions to cleaned bowl and stir in celery root, flour, eggs, salt, pepper, celery tops and remaining spices until combined well.

Heat 1/3 inch oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Fill a 1/4-cup measure with latke mixture and carefully spoon it into skillet, then flatten to 3 inches in diameter with a slotted spatula. Form 3 more latkes in skillet, then fry until undersides are deep golden, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes. Turn over and fry until deep golden all over, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes more. If latkes brown too quickly, lower heat to moderate. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly. Keep warm in 1 layer on a metal rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven. Make more latkes in same manner. Use a second rack and baking pan to keep last batches warm.