Seared Celeriac Steaks with Lentils and Mustard Cream
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Celeriac spends the whole growing season looking like a mistake — a knobbled, root-whiskered lump that sulks in the bed from an early spring sowing until the first frosts sweeten it. Lift one in October, scrub off the mud, and under that hide is dense ivory flesh with the perfume of celery and hazelnut. Cut thick, braised then seared in foaming butter, it eats like a chop: caramelised crust, custardy centre, lentils underneath to catch the juices.
1 cup (200 g) small green lentils (Puy, Pardina or beluga)
⅓ cup (80 g) crème fraîche (or thick Greek yogurt)
2 tbsp (30 g) wholegrain mustard
1 lemon, zest and juice
⅓ cup (45 g) pumpkin seeds
¾ cup (20 g) flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
The Recipe
Scrub the celeriac hard under cold water, then peel it with a knife rather than a peeler — the skin is thick and the root channels at the base hold grit that no peeler reaches. Cut the bulb horizontally into four slabs a generous 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, taking them from the broadest middle section. Thinner than this and the slab dries out before it browns; thicker and the centre stays chalky.
Lay the slabs flat in a wide pan, pour over the stock, tuck in the thyme, bay and garlic, and add ½ tsp fine salt. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook 18–22 minutes, turning once. The slabs are ready when a knife tip slides to the centre with the resistance of a cooked potato and the flesh has gone from opaque white to faintly translucent. Do not skip this step: celeriac seared from raw browns on the outside and stays fibrous within.
Lift the slabs onto a rack and let them steam-dry for 10 minutes. Surface moisture boils instead of browning, and this short rest is the difference between a pale grey steak and a mahogany one. Strain the braising liquid and keep every drop.
Rinse the lentils and simmer them in 1¾ cups (420 ml) of the reserved braising liquid, topped up with water if needed, for 20–25 minutes. Keep the liquid at a lazy bubble — a hard boil splits the skins and turns them to mush. They are done when a lentil crushes between finger and thumb but still holds its shape. Salt only at the end, with ½ tsp; early salt firms the skins.
While they cook, toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking constantly, until they puff, pop audibly and smell nutty. Tip them straight onto a cold plate — left in the hot pan they scorch and turn bitter.
Whisk the crème fraîche with the mustard, the lemon zest and 2 tsp of the juice, plus a good grind of black pepper. Taste: it should be sharp enough to prickle, because it has four rich buttery steaks to cut through.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high until it shimmers, lay in the dried celeriac slabs and press them flat with a spatula for the first 30 seconds to guarantee full contact. Cook 4 minutes without moving them, then add the butter. Once it foams and smells of toasted hazelnut, tilt the pan and baste the tops for a further 2–3 minutes. Flip and repeat. You want a deep bronze crust with crisp lacy edges.
Fold the parsley and the remaining lemon juice through the hot lentils, spoon onto warm plates, set a steak on each and spoon over the pan butter. Finish with the mustard cream, the pumpkin seeds and flaky salt. Serve immediately — the crust softens within minutes under the cream.
