This is my version of a Jamie Oliver’s ‘Zombie’ brain recipe – a whole roasted celeriac. I served it with courgettes and Cavolo Nero, instead of pearl barely. It’s a perfect vegetarian alternative to a traditional roast dinner and is very quick and easy to prepare.   I have kept the garlic whole because I wanted to pick out the garlic easily to squeeze into the leftover celeriac for a creamy mash later in the week.

Ingredients

• 1 large celeriac , (roughly 1.2kg)
• Olive oil
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 7 fresh bay leaves
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 2 shallots
• 800g finely sliced mushrooms
• 150 ml single cream
• 1 heaped teaspoon grain mustard
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
2. Scrub the celeriac clean, using a brush to clean away any soil from the root. Tear off a double layer of wide tin foil and place the celeriac in the middle, root side up.
   Rub with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, sprinkle over the thyme sprigs and six  bay leaves. Include four cloves of garlic, unpeeled. Pull the sides of the foil up really tightly around the celeriac and scrunch around its shape, leaving it open at the top.
   Place the butter on top of the celeriac so that it melts down and around it as it cooks, then fold the foil over really tightly to seal. Place in an ovenproof dish and roast for around two hours, or until tender.
3. Make the mushroom sauce by gently frying the shallots in olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook gently for about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile prepare the Cavolo Nero by washing the leaves and cutting out the stalks. Cook for about five minutes in boiling water and then add some of the boiling water to the mushroom mixture. Also add the cream and mustard and reduce for about five minutes and season well.
5. Around 10 minutes before the celeriac is ready, carefully open up the foil and start bast with the melted butter for extra colour.
6. Just before serving pour the juices from the celeriac into the mushroom sauce.
7. Slice the celeriac and serve with the Cavolo Nero, mushroom sauce and another vegetable, like courgettes.