Whole roast celeriac stuffed with chestnuts, cheese and apple
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 1 to 2 hours
- Serve
- Serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side
This recipe leaves nothing to waste! A celeriac is roasted then filled with nuts, fruit, cheese and breadcrumbs. The spooned-out centre of the celeriac is then used to make the accompanying creamy sauce.
Ingredients
For the celeriac
- 1 celeriac, approximately 650g/1lb 7oz
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the stuffing
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 80g/2¾oz shallots, finely sliced
- 100g/3½oz cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
- 6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 100g/3½oz peeled and cooked chestnuts, finely chopped
- 50g/1¾oz dried cranberries
- 100g/3½oz mature cheddar, grated
- 4 tbsp finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
- 40g/1½oz breadcrumbs
- 40g/1½oz walnuts, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the nutmeg and cream sauce
- 200ml/7fl oz double cream
- 1 nutmeg, grated
- 100ml/3½fl oz full-fat milk
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
To make the celeriac, trim any gnarly roots off the celeriac and scrub clean under cold running water. Pat dry, rub with the oil and season with salt and pepper.
Wrap tightly in a double layer of kitchen foil and place in a roasting tin in the oven. Cook for around 1½ hours or until tender, checking it is cooked by unwrapping the foil and piercing down through the top with a small sharp knife. Remove the foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle.
Scoop out (and reserve) the centre flesh of the celeriac, leaving a 1.5cm/¾in thick shell of celeriac. This is best done by scoring the flesh with a small sharp knife then spooning it out in layers. Set aside the celeriac flesh.
Line the roasting tin with baking paper and place the celeriac shell in the centre.
To make the stuffing, heat half of the butter and half of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallot, apple, sage, thyme, garlic and chestnuts. Season with salt and pepper and gently cook for 15 minutes, stirring often, until the shallots and apple have softened.
Spoon the apple mixture into a bowl and leave to cool a little. Stir through the cranberries, cheddar and half of the parsley.
Return the pan to the heat (no need to wash) and heat the remaining butter and oil. Stir in the breadcrumbs and walnuts and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until golden and crunchy. Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a small bowl and set aside. Stir the rest into the apple mixture.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Spoon the apple stuffing into the celeriac shell, piling it high on top. Scatter any leftovers around the roasting tin.
Roast for 15–20 minutes or until hot in the centre and the cheese has started to melt.
Meanwhile to make the sauce, place the cream and nutmeg in a small saucepan and add the reserved celeriac flesh. Season with plenty of pepper and a touch of salt and bring to a simmer.
Blend with a hand-held blender or in a food processor until smooth – it should be a fairly thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Keep hot.
Pour the sauce into a shallow serving dish and place the stuffed celeriac shell on top. Spoon the extra stuffing around the dish.
Scatter over the reserved 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs mixture and the remaining parsley.
Serve immediately, carving into wedges at the table and making sure that everyone gets a portion of sauce, roast celeriac and stuffing.
