Creamy baked potato and celeriac

I had to dig into the recipe archives for this one, not because I haven't been cooking lately, but mostly because I haven't cooked anything new lately. I have however been eating some great things, including a messy, drippy, insanely good burger from this place. Seriously, if you live in Ottawa, go to Hintonburger as soon as possible. You may have to wait in a smoky line, and you may be forced to eat in your car, but you definitely won't be disappointed. But back to the dish at hand. I first made it for Christmas dinner, where it accompanied some roast beef for dinner. Christmas is long past, but with this weekend's chilly temperatures, you might be mistaken in thinking it was right around the corner. Brrr. Anyway, if you're looking for a hearty side to warm you up and fill your tummy, this one is great. It's from the brilliant Jamie at Home book, which is probably my favourite Jamie Oliver book to date. The dish is essentially a scalloped potato concoction, though perhaps a bit easier to throw together? (that's a total guess on my part as I've never made scalloped potatoes before.)

Begin by sourcing out a fresh brain. Kidding! This is celeariac, but it kinda looks like a brain doesn't it? You'll find it in the grocery store near the potatoes or other root veggies. It often has a lot of dirt stuck in all the cracks and crevices, so you'll have to use your knife to peel away all the craggy, bumpy bits to reveal the off-white flesh beneath. Celeriac, if you've never had it before, has a flavour somewhere in between a potato, parsnip and maybe a turnip. It's also great in soup, or even pureed as a side.

After you have all the veggies chopped, in they go to a pan to be covered by milk, sage and parmesan cheese. And after a while in the oven, out comes a bubbly, cheesy mess that I defy any one to pass up. Please forgive the blacked edges -- blame my dirty oven which I refuse to clean until I replace it! Creamy baked potato and celeriac From Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver 4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus a couple extra knobs, divided 2 pounds potatoes, peeled 1 small celeriac, peeled and halved Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 pint heavy cream (I used some milk and some cream) 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped 1/2 a small bunch fresh sage, leaves picked and roughly chopped 4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan, divided Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a large, shallow baking dish. Slice the potatoes and celeriac into disks just under 1-inch thick. Place the slices into a large pan, cover with cold water, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain in a colander and allow the vegetables to steam dry for a minute or so. Put back into the pan with the cream, chopped garlic, sage, half the Parmesan and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix together, then tip into the buttered baking dish and spread out evenly. Pour any mixture left in the pan over the top. Sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan, cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown.