Creamy and rich, but nicely cut by the hot, salty and aromatic flavourings, this is a winner with any roast, especially pork, goose and game birds, and even as a course on its own.
Serves six.
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1kg celeriac
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried chilli flakes)
- 6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- 1 large sprig rosemary, leaves finely chopped
- Salt and black pepper
- 500ml single cream (or double, if you’re greedy)
- Turn the oven on to 375F/180C
- Use a little oil to grease a fairly large gratin dish.
- Peel the celeriac and slice it very thinly.
- Roughly combine the garlic, chilli, anchovy and rosemary.
- Put a layer of celeriac in the base of the dish, sprinkle with the aromatic mixture and season.
- Repeat the layers until you’ve used up everything.
- Pour the cream on top: just enough so it’s visible around the edges of the dish, not so much as to cover the celeriac. It is almost always too much cream, so err on the too little side, rather than the other way round.
- Drizzle with oil and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the celeriac is tender and the top is browned and crisp.
- For extra crispness, finish under the grill.