Autumn is just about upon us and it’s time to start cooking with roots again – joy! This week I’ll be cooking with celeriac, a fat and ugly brute but one that tastes heavenly in the most earthy kind of way.

Celeriac and smoked mackerel gratin

Serves 2
A small celeriac, peeled, halved and sliced into discs
Half an onion, peeled and sliced
A small pot of cream
3 tablespoons of horseradish sauce
A little milk
150g smoked mackerel
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Butter

– Preheat the oven to 200C. Bring the celeriac to a boil in a pan of salted water and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile heat a little butter in a saucepan and saute the onion. Add the cream and horseradish, season with salt and pepper and gently warm through. You may need to add a splash of milk to loosen it up a little.

– Drain the celeriac and rub an ovenproof dish with butter. Put a layer of the root on the bottom and top with half the cream and horseradish combo and all the smoked mackerel. Top with another layer of celeriac, the rest of the cream and finish with a handful of Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes and serve.

Do you have any knock-out celeriac recipes?