Simmerstock.com scripts: Lamb chops, puréed celery root and molasses glazed baby carrots

Grilled lamb chops

Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper. Grill for approximately 5 minutes on each side over a high heat. If you don't have access to a grill, broiling works just as well (also about 5 minutes per side)

Purée of celery root

Carve off the butt-ugly outside of the roots until the root resembles a white ball. Cut the root into roughly 2" cubes, dumping them in a pot of cool (not hot, let alone boiling) water. Add or drain off enough water so that the celery root chunks are covered by about an inch of water (you may have to hold them down with your hands to judge the water level - celery root floats).

Put the pot on a burner & turn it up high. When the water begins to boil, turn the burner down so that the water simmers (bubbles break the surface every second, but the water's not rolling and churning around. Partially cover and cook for about 20 minutes - until you can easily stick in and pull out a knife or toothpick. You can also test by taking out a cube and trying to mash it with a fork. If it mashes easily, it's done.

Drain water from pot. For "homestyle" celery root (some of us like lumps) add the butter and cream to the celery root in the pot and mash with a potato masher or fork until it reaches the desired consistency. For a fancy Purée, put celery root, butter and cream in a food processor with a metal blade & process the daylights out of it (celery root won't turn to glue like potato would). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The celery root will keep nicely warm for about 10 minutes if kept covered in the pot you boiled it in.

Glazed baby carrots

Peel and trim the baby carrot (or peel larger carrots and slice into 1/4" rounds). Cook in salted boiling water for three minutes, then drain and dump in a bowl filled with ice and water (aka blanching). Note: we're not trying to fully cook them here. We're just getting them started to give 'em some good color and make the sautéing/glazing part happen faster later on. At this point the carrots can be set aside If you have other things to need to cook for the dinner, do them here.

In a sauté pan over medium high heat (the pan should be large enough to hold the carrots in a single layer), add your wine, butter, and molasses. Bring the liquid to a boil and add the carrots (drain them first if they're still in the ice water) and drop in a grind or two of pepper and a good pinch of salt. Toss the carrots around in the liquid fairly regularly and cook until the liquid is just coating the bottom of the pan and the carrots have a nice glaze on them (about 5 to 7 minutes). If you notice the liquid starting to burn on the edges before it's cooked down enough, take the pan off the heat immediately, let it cool down a bit (until the liquid stops bubbling), and then return it to the burner at a lower heat.

Step by step

You'll need two burners for this, plus a grill or a broiler for the lamb chops.

1. Put water (at least a quart with 1 Tbsp.) salt on burner set to high (for blanching carrots).
2. Peel and dice celery root - put in saucepan with cold water to cover by 1".
3. Peel and trim (or slice) carrots.
4. Turn on grill or broiler.
5. Blanch carrots in boiling water (3 minutes, then shock in ice water)
6. Put celery root on burner set to high. When it comes to boil, set timer on 15 minutes.
7. Season each side of lamb chops with salt and pepper.
8. Grill the chops, about 5 minutes each side, and let rest, uncovered, in a barely warm oven (no more than 200 degrees).
9. Sauté the carrots.
10. Drain and Mash/Purée the celery root
11. Plate and serve (put a mound of celery root in the middle of a plate, rest two or three chops against celery root, drop carrots and their glaze sauce around the plate.)