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player ready...Hail, the potato! In the wake of rising food prices around the world, the United Nations proclaimed the spud one super-nutritious value.
To hammer the point home, the U.S. Potato Board has launched the “Potatoes: Goodness Unearthed” campaign to remind consumers that despite the low-carb contempt of the Atkins era for the starchy veg, a medium spud has only 110 calories, is naturally fat-free, is high in vitamin C and — when eaten with the skin on them — packs more potassium than a banana.
One of the easiest ways to prepare potatoes is to mash them, but the addition of butter, milk and cream can add excessive fat and calories to this budget-conscious comfort food.
Instead, add a boost of flavor from celery root, a root vegetable that tastes like a cross between strong celery and parsley. Shrouded in a gnarly tangle of thick, hairy skin, celery root requires a bit more patience to peel than a potato, yet the creamy flesh is easily transformed into a puree of beauty.
Shopping tips: Celery root has many names, including celeriac, celery knob and turnip rooted celery. Avoid roots with soft spots and check for mold or signs of spoilage. Store the root in a plastic bag and refrigerate 7 to 10 days.
Preparation tips: We peel the potatoes, but if you enjoy the skin and want more potassium in this dish, by all means leave it on. The skin of celery root, however, must be removed and is not easily stripped with a vegetable peeler. “834 Kitchen Quick Tips” from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated suggests the following: Cut off about a half-inch from each end of the celery root so it rests flat on a cutting board. To peel, cut from top to bottom, rotating the celery root as you remove wide strips of skin. Slice through the root to create slices. Stack the slices and cut into strips, and again into half-inch pieces. Then simply cook with the potatoes until tender and mash both with plain yogurt in place of all or some of the milk.