Why did you buy celery root?

Because its ugly, that's why. And it promised to challenge me to learn something new. I know very little about celery root, but since I made the investment to buy one, I now have the motivation to find out how to cook it---at least once.

I have heard of celery root puree---in fact tasted I may have tasted it in a restaurant once. If I recall, it is a nice compliment to sauces and meats while at the same time offering a 'vegetized' substitute for 'mashed potatoes.' Not that we don't love mashed potatoes...

After haranguing around the web, I found some useful information. Celery root has a pungent celery-like flavor---with hints of parsley. Celery root is a special variety of celery---developed by gardeners during the Renaissance. Its a good source of potassium, and can be substituted in recipes calling for cauliflower, fennel or turnips. In fact, from what I read, it sounds like I might sometimes prefer the special flavor of celery root!

Here are some keepers:

• Cream of Celery Root Soup by Michael Ruhlman
• A very straight-forward celery root puree from Wolfgang Puck
• This is why I love Epicurious: just enough info to give you the basics, but not overwhelm. Here are a few recipes to get you started.
• Italian Chef + Food & Wine = Celery Root and Mushroom Lasagna... sign me up!!!

Have YOU tried celery root? If so, in what kind of recipe?