Celeriac steak with mash and gochujang sauce

1 HOUR + MARINATING | SERVES 4 | EASY |

LC

Slow-roasted celeriac has a wonderful ‘meaty’ bite and a unique mellow flavour. I like to score the surface of each ‘steak’ before marinating to make sure it really soaks up flavour when cooking. This also helps the roasted celeriac to crisp and caramelise on the outside while staying beautifully tender inside. The sauce matches Korean gochujang (a delicious fermented chilli paste with a moreish savoury flavour) with soy milk for a velvety smooth, umami twist on a classic steak sauce. Be sure to pick a large, fresh celeriac, ideally without too many visible roots, to guarantee nice round celeriac steaks.

CELERIAC STEAKS

celeriac 800g

red wine (check it’s vegan) 120ml

olive oil 80ml liquid smoke or smoked paprika soy sauce 60ml

maple syrup 1Ω tbsp

dried thyme 1/2 tsp

black peppercorns coarsely cracked with a pestle and mortar to make 1/2 tbsp 1 tbsp

• Wash and dry the celeriac well. Slice it into four Ω-inch-thick discs, and then carefully slice off the outside skin, being careful not to remove more than Ωcm from each disc. Use a sharp knife to score shallow lines 1/2cm apart across the top of each disc, then rotate each disc by 45 degrees and repeat so the score lines form rough diamonds. Set aside.

• To make the marinade, whisk together the wine, olive oil, liquid smoke, soy sauce, maple syrup, thyme and peppercorns. Transfer three-quarters of the marinade to a bowl and set aside.

• Transfer the discs to a large reusable ziplock bag and pour in the remaining quarter of the marinade. If the celeriac is not fully coated, use a little more marinade from the bowl. Seal the bag and put in the fridge to marinate for 1-4 hours.

• Once the celeriac is marinated, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Remove the celeriac from the marinade and put on the tray, scored-side up. Using a pastry brush, coat the celeriac in a little extra marinade before putting the tray in the oven.

• Cook for 15 minutes before turning the discs over, brushing with a little extra marinade and