So like me you're all "sucked-up Paleo-addicted-never-gonna-eat-potatoes-again" right? Well, I hope you're sitting down. See the pic? Looks GOOD huh?
When I first started eating paleo, I started loitering in the produce section of the local grocery store and wandering aimlessly thru the farmer's market. I discovered "celery root", or celeriac, and I explicitly remember asking the vendor "What do you DO with this?". His answer was to cut it into slivers and add to salad. OK, not bad. Get's some strange looks from the kids though and it's almost a deal breaker if you don't go thin enough. Later, it occurred to me that maybe I could shred this stuff and make "Hash Browns". Here's the very simple "recipe" - I think they're WAY better than hash browns - they actually have some taste to them. My daughter Chelsea has had them twice now and still thinks they're good - and she doesn't pull any punches when it comes to such things..This is completely paleo-zone 5 blocks but the fat is high by about 8 gm (not even close to 2X fat for you zoners). Lean turkey breast would fix that but i didn't have any.
1 Tbs olive oil – 14 gm F
1 Egg + 1 White – 5 gm Fat, 10 gm P
1 Heaping Cup Grated Celery Root -17 gm C
5 oz Ground Turkey – 27 gm P, 8 gm F
7 oz mix fruit – melon/berries/etc – fruit avg is about 4 gm C/oz ~28 gm C
(use calorie king to figure exactly depending on what fruit you have on hand)
Pepper and Sea Salt to taste
1st the root - it's not much to look at. I coarsely shave the skin off with a butcher knife - like so.
It's pretty obvious how to cook everything. I always prepare the fruit first to get it out of the way. Ground turkey was next then put to the side. The celery root was grated the night before. Get the olive oil nice and hot in a pan and add the root. After that's been goin' several minutes, I start the eggs. After I tried this, I googled it - couldn't imagine I was the first to think of this and sure enough, I wasn't. However, generally, it's suggested to mix it up with real potatoes because it kinda has a strong taste. I really didn't think so, plus I'm too "sucked up" to venture down the potato path. I'm sure this is gonna be a potato replacement for me in many dishes to come. You tell me if it's good just by itself. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Cheers! Steve
Me & my daughter/paleo partner/recipe tester
Genius. I can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteWe tried the hash browns this morning-- Very good! I must say that cooking them to a real brown is very important. I ate them a little less done than what you have shown and they were a bit slimy. But-- after chucking them back on the stove till they were really crispy and brown made them very good. I will definitely use this one again. Thanks!! PS-- did you deep fry them, like in .25" oil? I didn't have the heart to use as much oil as I thought might be warranted for an authentic greasy spoon kind of browning...
ReplyDeleteBrian - I used 1 Tbl Spoon of olive oil for 1 heaping cup. I use a shallow teflon pan and keep flipping them. Glad you liked it!
ReplyDeleteanother fantastic substitution for hash brown potatoes is cauliflower believe it or not. I steam it til its soft, then mash it up and fglatten it in the bottom of a fry pan with some olive oil. Cook it until brown and crunchy - put a plate over the fry pan flit ip out onto the plate and slide it back (uncooked side down) into the pan to continue cooking til brown on the other side. YUMMY!!! Give it a try - promise you'll like it. Maybe even better than celery root (i tried that also)
ReplyDeleteThanks Shari - I've heard that cauliflower makes a good "substitute"... that would be another "U can't believe it!" in my book- i'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteAnother cooking option is to cut the celeric into small cubes (maybe 1/2") and put in the microwave w/ 1 tbsp fat of choice in a covered bowl. Nuke for 7 minutes or until just turning soft. Then toss them out onto a hot pan and fry until brown ~4 minutes per "side" (technique also works for potatoes, BTW). I used this technique for a root vegetable hash: cubed chicken, roasted beets, celeric, roasted garlic, and lots of fresh thyme (added at the end). I'm sure to proportions could be paleo-ized and, of course, this could be used with the corned beef leftover from St. Patty's Day celebrations.
ReplyDeleteGreat work, it looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteThe paleo hashbrowns were a big hit at our breakfast table this morning! 8 teenage football players did not even notice the difference and two asked why they were so good. When I told them what they were made of, well they all were shockeded.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
I've just started down the paleo path and your site has been a great inspiration and guide. I made organic ground Turkey breakfast "sausage" with lots of spices, steamed eggs and I combined shredded Jicama, Celeriac, green onions, and some chopped mushrooms for the hashbrown mixture. Fried everything except the eggs in olive oil. Hashbrown mixture tasted sweet, very similar to sweet potato but everyone liked them. I added some fresh strawberries and blackberries to round out the breakfast. I'm experimenting with potato substitutes, will try shredded rutabagas next time instead of jicama to see the flavor difference. I read your site frequently, your meals are wonderful, we LOVE the avocado pudding. I'm in Monument, CO so live relatively close and I plan to check out Cross-Fit facilities here in CS. Thanks again for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliments Colleen. Sounds like a GREAT breakfast! One of my favorites these days is shredded sweet potato with eggs, chopped red onion, a little bit of coconut flour and almond flour (as a binder), and spices. Pan fry in coconut oil. Better than has browns and cheaper than celeriac. Good luck with your paleo journey!
ReplyDeleteSounds cool but im quite certain we don't have celery root available in my area =(
ReplyDeleteI grate the cauliflower on cheese grater. Either fine side of grater or bigger side. I add fresh garlic, just chopped. Then, one egg. Mix it together, fry in coconut oil til brown on both sides. Top with a few slices of avocado. It is excellent. You get veggie, egg, fats. I call them, cauli cakes. A sub for hash browns. Add a little fruit and Turk sausage and your set. Eat it any time of day, not just breakfast.
ReplyDelete