Holiday mashed potato and celery root

I remember last Christmas, I was shopping for all the supplies needed for Christmas dinner. When I was checking out, the young lady at the register, about 22, said she was just learning to cook with different ingredients. While she was ringing up my groceries, she kept asking questions like, “What’s this?” and “How do you cook that?” But her biggest curiosity was when she picked up the celery root. “Oh my gosh,” she said, “What is that thing?” 

Well, I admit if you have never seen a celery root, they are strange looking. I told her that I was going to make a special version of mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner. She looked like she had her doubts, as she placed the celery root in the grocery bag. Here’s what I did with it.

1 big nasty looking celery root

5 medium potatoes

1 medium onion

10 cloves of garlic

Water

Sea salt

Olive oil

Butter

Smoked paprika

Preparation

Now, if you never looked at a celery root before, it looks like something out of a science fiction/horror film. It is a big gnarly ball, with some tentacle looking things, all twisted up on the bottom, with lots of dirt and gunk between the appendages. You need to peel it, and have a paring knife to cut any dirty nooks off of it. Once you do, cut it into chunks and put it in a pot. 

Peel the potatoes and add them to the pot. Peel the onion and quarter it. Add that to the pot as well. Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the pot. Now add enough water to cover the vegetables. Add a palmful of salt to the water and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Let it simmer until the celery root is tender when pierced with a fork, about a half hour. 

Drain the vegetables and return them to the pot. Add a splash of your best olive oil and use a potato masher to mash all the vegetables together. Then use the masher with rapid circular motions to beat the vegetables into a smooth, uniform texture. Place them in a serving bowl or leave them it the pot. Add about three pats of butter and sprinkle on some smoked paprika. 

Serving

Serve a big mound of this winter mash on a plate next to pieces of roast duck - a breast and leg quarter. Add lots of gravy to the duck and a little butter to the mash. Now add a big pile of mixed vegetables (you know, the frozen mix - think Green Giant). Slice some fresh homemade bread and open a bottle of Zinfandel and dinner should be set.