Celery root (aka celeriac) is one of the most underrated vegetables I think! It’s a root vegetable that eats like a cross between a tender potato with the unmistakable flavour of celery. It’s a cold weather staple for us! The celery-ish quality makes it an ideal flavour pairing with anything apple and toasted nuts. With this cider glazed celery root with walnuts, we hit all of those points. It’s an ideal holiday veggie side.
Celery root can be especially dirty and gnarly looking when you get it home from the store or market. I cut off the top and bottom, and then laying one of those flat sides on the cutting board, I work my chef’s knife down the sides to remove that rough exterior. You should end up with a nice, off-white sphere-like shape. The process is similar to peeling oranges for supremes!
To make this cider glazed celery root, we start by searing wedges until golden brown. Those get transferred to a baking sheet and then roasted to tender perfection. While the celery root is finishing up in the oven, we use the same skillet to make the glaze. I start with a flavour base of garlic, rosemary, and ground chillies. Once those are fragrant, we add apple cider vinegar for tangy sparkle and grainy mustard because it just works here. Two cups of apple cider go in, and we boil until we end up with about half a cup of syrupy, mega-flavourful glaze. The methods are super easy!
You can toss the roasted celery root with the glaze in the pan, but I like to spoon it on top when it’s on the serving plate. The pretty and tender celery heart leaves are a lovely garnish here. I just like to have something green here and obviously the celery flavour just works! Walnuts go on top for crunch and it’s all good to go. Hope that you give this one a try next time you’re looking for veggie side dish inspiration.
Cider Glazed Celery Root with Walnuts
Cider glazed celery root is super flavourful, easy to make, and wonderful as a holiday veggie side dish that’s vegan and gluten-free! Apple cider is reduced on the stove with garlic, rosemary, grainy mustard, and a bit of chili until syrupy and thick.
Servings 4 -6
Ingredients
- 2 small or 1 large celery root (675 grams total)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon ground chillies (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
- 2 cups apple cider
- handful of leaves from the inner part of celery, finely chopped
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts chopped
Notes
- Chopped parsley is also great as a garnish if you don’t have a bunch of celery hanging around.
- I like walnuts here, but other chopped nuts/seeds would be fine!
- If your glaze sits out a bit too long and gets too thick, simply whisk in a splash of super hot water to loosen it up.
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Set up a baking sheet beside the stove.
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Peel and wash the celery root. Once you towel it off, cut the celery root into 1-inch thick wedges.
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Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Pour in the olive oil and swirl it around. Place half of the celery root wedges carefully into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Let the celery root sear on one side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Let the other side become golden, and then transfer those pieces to the baking sheet.
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Repeat the process with the remaining celery root. Once you have it all on the baking sheet, season generously with salt and pepper. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and roast until tender and deeply golden, about 25 minutes.
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While the celery root is roasting, prepare the glaze. In the same skillet, there should still be a nice slick of olive oil. Set the heat to medium. Add the garlic, rosemary and chillies to the skillet and stir. Once the garlic is very fragrant, about 1 minute in, add the apple cider vinegar. Let the apple cider vinegar sizzle and cook off for about 30 seconds.
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Add the grainy mustard and apple cider to the skillet. Bring the mixture up to a boil. Keep boiling until you have about ½ cup reduced liquid, this process takes about 10 minutes. Keep checking in with it and stirring it up. Once it’s reduced and syrupy, turn off the heat. As it cools, the glaze will thicken.
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To serve, arrange the roasted celery root pieces on a serving plate. Drizzle the apple cider glaze over top. Garnish with the chopped celery leaves, walnuts, and extra black pepper. Serve immediately.
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