Cheesy Celery Potato Gratin

I tried this Waitrose recipe on a rainy weekend and fell in love with it. We have made it again several times. It is wonderfully comforting. Would I have ever imagined celery in a comfort food dish? The chipotle chilli flakes are a wonderful addition to the dish and I have to admit, we took such a liking to them we have put extra flakes in each time we have made it since.

INGREDIENTS

• 50g salted butter, plus 1 tbsp
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 6 stalks celery, cut into 5cm chunks
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
• 1⁄4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 tsp chipotle chilli flakes
• 50g plain flour
• 600ml whole milk
• 100g Cheddar, grated
• 10g curly leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 100g sourdough bread
• 50g walnuts

METHOD

Heat 1 tbsp butter and the oil in a pan and, once it starts to bubble, add the bay leaves and chopped onion. Cook over a medium heat for two minutes until the onion has softened.

Add the celery chunks and cook for five minutes. Add the diced potato, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook for five minutes until the vegetables have gained a little colour.

Stir through the salt, pepper and chilli flakes, and then transfer to an ovenproof baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 200˚C/Gas mark 6.

Next time to make a roux for a cheese sauce. Melt 50g butter in a medium pan. Once it starts to bubble, add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, then reduce the heat to low and gradually add the milk, whisking the whole time. Cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes minutes until the mixture thickens. Add the grated cheese and parsley; mix well. Pour over the celery in the dish.

Put the sourdough and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until crumbly but not too fine.

Sprinkle the crumble over the cheese mixture, then bake for thirty-five minutes, until golden and bubbling.

Once baked, let it stand for 10 minutes (if you don’t you will injure your mouth!) before serving with a leafy salad. During the winter months, we have also used this as a vegetable accompaniment at the dinner table with meat dishes.

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