Potato and Celery Root Galette

I finally got my celery root!  They're $3 a pound, so it isn't going to become a staple, but at least the potatoes were 69¢ for a 5 pound bag.  That made up for it considerably, and I did need potatoes for latkes.

There are many definitions of galettes.  The obvious one (to me) is the buckwheat crepe.  They can also refer to certain types of open-faced pastries.  In this case, it's a vegetable tart.

My original plan was to make this with just celery root and some kind of topping.  Then I found this recipe and learned that celery root doesn't have enough starch to hold it together.  So plan B became more labor intensive, but probably more successful.

Now for the big question, what does celery root taste like?  I don't know why I was surprised that it smelled like celery when I was cutting it.  The taste is also celery-like, with a potato-ish texture.  It isn't $3/pound awesomeness, but I might splurge once in a while if the recipe sounds really worthwhile.

1 small celery root (less than 1 lb)
1 lb russet potatoes
2 Tb butter
2 Tb olive oil
salt and pepper
other spices or herbs to garnish

1.  Get out the V-slicer, food processor, or mandolin, because you need very thin slices to cook everything evenly.  Scrub the potatoes clean.  Clean the celery root and trim off any hairy roots.  Slice both on the thin setting.  You may have to cut the celery root in half first.

2.  In a medium bowl, toss together the vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.  Start preheating the oven to 350º.

3.  Melt the butter in an oven-safe 9" skillet.  Turn down the heat to low while you shingle the potato and celery root into a pattern, alternating each kind.  Keep going around until it's all used.  I ended up with about three layers.  Turn up the heat to medium-high for several minutes to crisp the bottom layer.

4.  Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  I forgot the foil part, which may be why mine didn't turn out of the pan neatly.  I have also doubled the butter from the original version.  After the 20 minutes, remove the foil and cook until the vegetables no longer look opaque and start to pick up a nice golden hue, another 10 to 15 minutes.

5.  Remember to use oven mitts for the rest of these instructions!  Remove skillet from oven.  Carefully loosen the galette with a wooden spoon.  Start at the edges and work your way in.  Then get a serving plate and place, inverted, on skillet.  Flip the pan and hope for a successful "thunk' as it drops in one piece.  Remove pan and dust the galette with chopped herbs, seasoning salt, paprika, or even shredded cheese.  Serve hot.

Serves 2-4, depending on use

Difficulty rating  :-0