Spicy Celeriac Fries

Celery Root

Celeriac (celery root) is a pretty incredible vegetable that I instantly fell in love with. Celeriac is the base of a celery, the root that often goes ignored or thrown out. It’s round and bulb-like, similar to jicama or taro, covered in a brown straw-like shell. It’s flavor is starchy and sweet like a potato, without the High FODMAPs and starchy sugars that cause the gut distress.

When I first went on the Low FODMAP diet, I had no idea what celeriac was. I’d never even heard of it! But after seeing my naturopath, she introduced me to this wonderful vegetable. Initially, I began eating pureed celeriac, as I was reintroducing food after my Elemental Diet treatment (I’ll be sharing more about that treatment and corresponding recipes later,) but once I started eating a little more regularly, I realized that the one thing I missed the most, was texture. Firm, crunchy, salty, interesting textures. I was soft cooking heaps of fruits and vegetables, and frankly, it got really boring. So I started experimenting. After tasting celeriac as a puree, drizzled in olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme, it resembled the taste of mashed potatoes, only with a hint of celery sweetness in it’s flavor. So, I thought, why not bake them and turn them into french fries? And, I did just that.

Usually when I make this as an appetizer or side dish, everyone in the family wants in. So, I like to make a pretty large batch. When I’m cooking this dish for Josh and I, I usually cut about 2 celeriac bulbs. If I’m cooking for my family, and I know they’re going to get snacked on as they cook and cool down, I like to double the batch, using about 3-4 bulbs, depending on the sizes I find.

Now, because celeriac is naturally sweet in flavor, if you want something punchy, spicy, and savory, don’t be afraid to be generous with the spices. For the sake of this recipe, I’m sharing my base layer of spicing. Usually, once they’re out of the oven, I add another few pinches of salt & paprika, to enhance the flavor even more.

Recipe

Serves Two

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 40-45 minutes

What you’ll need:

2 organic celeriac bulbs

1-2 tbsp of organic avocado oil/enough to evenly dress the celeriac

a few generous pinches of freshly cracked pink Himalayan salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp organic paprika (depending on how much spice you prefer, you can always add more)

1/2 tbsp chile powder - again, use your own flavor palette and determine how much spice you like! You can always leave it out completely, if you aren’t big on spices, or maybe start out with 1/4 tbsp!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Wash & dry the celeriac, and remove the soft outer “shell,” with a sharp knife. After you’ve removed the outer layer, cut the celeriac in long thin strips, resembling In n Out fries.

In a large bowl, dress the cut celeriac in avocado oil, salt, pepper, and paprika. Using your hands, toss the celeriac, to evenly distribute the oil and spices. Then, place the dressed celeriac on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.

Place the sheet in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, continue baking the celeriac at 15 minute intervals, checking to see when they begin gaining a golden brown/red color, and resemble the look of a French fry. It usually takes about 35-45 minutes for my celeriac to reach a crispy French fry texture that I enjoy, but it varies depending on what oven I’m using.

Once they’ve reached the French fry look you prefer, leave them out to cool, and add a few extra pinches of salt, pepper, paprika, and chile powder, to enhance the flavor.