If I had to pick the ugliest member of the vegetable family…Im sorry celeriac, it would be you. But please, as we are always told, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Celeriac, also known as Celery Root, is a delicious and healthy winter root vegetable that should NOT be overlooked. Despite it’s name, it’s actually a cousin of the green stalk celery everyone is familiar with. This variety is grown almost strictly for it’s root, and not it’s stalk. In season from October to April, this mild tasting vegetable is a great stand-in for, or addition to traditional starches like potaoes and turnips. Unlike most root vegetables, however, celeriac is only about 5-6% starch by weight. It’s rich in phosphorus and potassium, high in vitamin C, niacin, iron, and dietary fiber. Really now, it’s not so ugly after all!

Simply cut away the burly, knotty exterior (you may have to cut off quite a bit) and add it raw to salads for a cool crunch, somewhere in between celery (duh) and jicama in flavor. You can roast them or fry them like french fries, or puree them into a rich and creamy soup. Or, slap on your beret, and make ‘celeri remoulade’, a very traditional French salad of shredded celeriac tossed with a mustard-mayonnaise dressing.

How ever you try it, just make sure you do! Your local farmers market should have them through the winter.