It's becoming autumnal, and while the days are still warm the evenings are cool enough that my thoughts turn to stews, roasts, soups, and all the comforts of winter. One of my daughter's favourite recipes is perfect for this time of year, in that it's wintery comfort food paired with the bread and green salad of summer.
While heaping piles of cream, cheese, breadcrumbs, and garlic could hardly be called healthy, there's nothing wrong with occasionally throwing caution to the wind and using hunks of bread to mop up a creamy, garlicky, breadcumb-laden sauce. And that's where this simple to make leek and celeriac dauphinoise comes in handy.
half a bulb of garlic
1 celeriac
4 or 5 medium leeks
600 ml single cream
2 or 3 generous handfuls of breadcrumbs
2 or 3 generous handfuls of cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
crusty bread and green salad
wholegrain mustard (optional)
1. Pre-heat the oven to 220° C.
2. Using a mandolin if possible, or your sharpest knife if not, thinly slice the celeriac and the garlic. Chop the leeks into 2cm rounds.
3. In a deep baking dish, layer the celeriac. After each layer, scatter with garlic and leeks, and cover with cream. Season between each layer with salt and pepper. Repeat until you have run out of ingredients. You can dab small spoonfuls of wholegrain mustard between the layers to cut the richness.
4. Make sure the top layer of celeriac has been covered with cream, then scatter the cheese and breadcrumbs on top before seasoning with a final round of salt and pepper. Bake for around an hour, until the top is golden, a sharp knife can cut through the celeriac with ease, and the cream is bubbling away merrily.
Serve with huge chunks of crusty bread and a pile of green salad.
While heaping piles of cream, cheese, breadcrumbs, and garlic could hardly be called healthy, there's nothing wrong with occasionally throwing caution to the wind and using hunks of bread to mop up a creamy, garlicky, breadcumb-laden sauce. And that's where this simple to make leek and celeriac dauphinoise comes in handy.
half a bulb of garlic
1 celeriac
4 or 5 medium leeks
600 ml single cream
2 or 3 generous handfuls of breadcrumbs
2 or 3 generous handfuls of cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
crusty bread and green salad
wholegrain mustard (optional)
1. Pre-heat the oven to 220° C.
2. Using a mandolin if possible, or your sharpest knife if not, thinly slice the celeriac and the garlic. Chop the leeks into 2cm rounds.
3. In a deep baking dish, layer the celeriac. After each layer, scatter with garlic and leeks, and cover with cream. Season between each layer with salt and pepper. Repeat until you have run out of ingredients. You can dab small spoonfuls of wholegrain mustard between the layers to cut the richness.
4. Make sure the top layer of celeriac has been covered with cream, then scatter the cheese and breadcrumbs on top before seasoning with a final round of salt and pepper. Bake for around an hour, until the top is golden, a sharp knife can cut through the celeriac with ease, and the cream is bubbling away merrily.
Serve with huge chunks of crusty bread and a pile of green salad.