I had one of my Slice-Of-Slim "Eureka!" moments the other day....I really fancied a jacket potato, but just didn't have the propoints left, so I decided to try an alternative...and came up with this celeriac 'fake-bake'.
It's a mind-trickery exercise, and you need your mind to be a little open, but I have to say I'm completely hooked!
Celeriac is a strange vegetable. For a start I think it fell out of the ugly tree, poor thing. It does look like something from an alien planet. It seems to love mud too-so never looks very appetising when you buy it. However, with a little TLC, we can transform it into something great!
In terms of flavour and texture, the flavour is slightly sweeter and more earthy/root vegetable-tasting than a potato, but it's definitely bland enough to carry the flavours of your favourite fillings. I can detect a very slight artichoke-type flavour. The outside will not go crisp like a potato (believe me, I've tried!), but will darken and have a great flavour once baked.
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My 'Fake-bakes' are fantastic for WeightWatchers and calorie counters alike... A medium 213g potato is 5pp/164kcal, whereas the equivalent weight in celeriac is 0pp/50kcal
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Start by giving the celeriac a really good scrub using a vegetable brush, especially if you are going to leave the skin on. (I like the skin). Even if you are removing the skin, it's important to scrub the celeriac well as it holds onto soil and this could be passed onto the flesh via the knife.
Cut into quarters. Here I'm showing you a peeled version and where I've left the skin on. It's up to your personal preference.
If you peel it, you only need to take a fine shaving off the edges. You can do this with a sharp knife or a potato peeler.
If you have the time and you want to take the mind-trickery to its limit, you can shave off the sharp edges using a potato peeler, to make the celeriac look like a rounded potato. You can pop the peelings into a vegetable soup.
Mist with a few sprays of Frylight or olive oil and rub this well into the outside.
Bake in a hot oven 225 degrees C for 40-45 minutes. Turn a couple of times during cooking so that each 'face' of the celeriac gets a lovely charred appearance.
The only way you will achieve a thicker, more 'potatoey' skin, is to fry the baked celeriac in a little frylight oil for a few minutes, but it's not really necessary.
Finally, split open just like a regular jacket potato, and fill with your favourite toppings.
I served this one with 10g low fat spread and 12g grated cheddar for 2pp/approx.80kcal.
I served this one with a 2pp/90kcal tin of Coronation Tuna (Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself range), roasted butternut squash 'chips' and 1 tablespoon Lighter than Light Mayo 0pp/10kcal.
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Have fun experimenting, keep an open mind and enjoy!
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TIP
Just like potatoes, you can give the celeriac a head-start in the microwave for about 5 minutes before baking. This should reduce baking time by about 20 minutes.
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You can also make these with swede-they're fantastic! Either buy small ones or cut in half. Leave the skin on, wash and scrub well. Microwave for 5-10 minutes before baking for 20-30 minutes. You end up with a dark, crisp skin (more like a jacket potato) and a beautiful apricot-coloured flesh inside.
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PRINT RECIPE HERE
6 comments:
Thanks Pat-we're all addicted in my house! Great way to have your favourite fillings without using pps on the potato! x
Looks great, could you do the whole thing in the microwave like a jacket potato if you were short on time?
Hi Fran-yes you can-they take 10-15 mins in the microwave x
thanks I look forward to trying it!
The Oxo potato peeler is a machine well designed for peeling vegetables and fruits. vegetable peeler
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