What could be better than a rich and creamy bowl of mashed potatoes? How about a bowl of mashed potatoes infused with celery and horseradish?

This fluffy bowl piles on the roots, with celery root and horseradish joining the mix. The result is a delicious side of potatoes, with an extra dimension of fragrance, flavor and bite.

Celery root, also known as celeriac, is the dark horse of root vegetables. Don't let its gnarly, bulbous exterior put you off. Once you cut away the skin, a milky white interior is revealed, softly redolent with celery. Celery root can be eaten raw and grated into salads, and when cooked, it’s a non-starchy alternative or complement to potatoes in mashes, gratins and soups.

Horseradish is also a root and belongs to the mustard family, which explains its peppery bite. Horseradish is often grated raw and folded into sauces and garnished over meats. Sharp and nutty, horseradish is quite strong when fresh, but its flavor fades and bite softens with cooking, so don’t be deterred by the amount in the recipe.

This is a lovely side dish to accompany meat and stews. The potatoes are left unpeeled, and their nutrient-rich skins fleck this side dish, adding flavor and texture. Peel the potatoes if you prefer a smoother texture.

Mashed Potatoes and Roots

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 pounds celery root, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 bay leaf

3 thyme sprigs

Salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sour cream, plus more as needed

4 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

3 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh horseradish, divided

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the potatoes and celery root in large pot and cover with cold water. Tie the bay leaf and thyme sprigs with kitchen string to make a bouquet garni and add to the pot along with 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes and celery root are very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly and discard the bouquet garni.

Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl, add the butter, and mash with a potato masher. Stir in the sour cream, 2 tablespoons cheese, 2 tablespoons horseradish and the pepper. If too thick, mix in more sour cream to your desired consistency. Add salt to your taste and mix well. Transfer the potatoes to a buttered 2-quart baking dish.

Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese and 1 tablespoon horseradish in a small bowl. Sprinkle over top of potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to the oven and bake until the top is tinged golden brown and the potatoes are heated through, about 25 minutes. Serve warm.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Here is something for your winter dinner rotation: chunky vegetables and slow-cooked beef swimming in a stock of beef and beer. This hearty no-nonsense beef stew is a must-have for a dreary winter night, and with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, you can dump a bottle of Guinness into the stock and call it Irish. And, while this stew is indeed simple and humble in ingredients, there are a couple of important steps you can take when making this recipe that will reward you with deep flavor.

The first step, as with many meat stews and braises, is to take the time to sear the meat well before braising. Searing the meat caramelizes its natural sugars and forms a crust, which adds rich meaty flavor to the stock. And note that searing does not mean a quick color and flip. It means taking the time to thoroughly brown the meat well on all sides, which can take up to eight minutes. Also, do not overcrowd the pan with all of the meat at once when searing. Crowding will steam the meat and prevent the desired browning, so be patient and divide the meat into batches to sear.

Second, while you can certainly make and serve this stew in one day, it will taste even better if you make it a day in advance of eating. I know, I know, waiting is a big ask, but the flavors will continue to meld and develop when the stew is refrigerated overnight. Not only that, but by refrigerating the stew ahead, the next day you will find that the fat has risen to the top and solidified, so it can be lifted off with ease and discarded, leaving you with a pristine stock.

So, go ahead and treat yourself to this warm and comforting stew, and while you’re at it, why not make a double batch? Any leftovers can be frozen for up to one month. It’s guaranteed to taste good.

Simple Beef Stew

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 1/2 hours

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, excess fat trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large shallot, finely chopped, about 1/4 cup

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups dark beer, such as porter or stout, divided

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 cups beef or chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 large carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the beef with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef in batches in one layer, without overcrowding, and brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and repeat with remaining beef.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the Dutch oven. Add the shallot and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add 1/2 cup beer to the pot and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits with a spoon. When the beer is nearly evaporated, add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly caramelized, about 1 minute. Return the beef to the pot and stir to coat.

Add the remaining 1 cup beer, the stock, bay leaf, brown sugar, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. The meat should be just covered with liquid. If not, add additional stock to cover. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

While the meat is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, potatoes and onions and lightly season with salt. Saute until the vegetables begin to soften without browning, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, onions and potatoes to the stew and stir to combine. Return to the oven and cook, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce slightly thickened, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove bay leaf and serve warm ladled into bowls.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Let’s be honest. Life has been a little stressful of late. In times of anxiety and uncertainty, some self-care is warranted. I am not talking cleanses and fasts, folks, I am talking indulgences, because, well, we deserve it.

When our sheltering days are clocked by changes of clothing from morning PJs to home-office athleisure attire, to a return to PJs (wash and repeat); when our weekly schedule requires setting an alarm to remember that it’s in fact a Monday, or to clarify that the weekend follows Friday and, sadly, not the aforementioned Monday; when we realize that the entire last year has atrophied any semblance of learned social skills (no small feat for introverts), and our voracious consumption of screen time has effectively canceled any parental authority in managing that department -- it’s important not to judge. Rather, it’s time to be kind to ourselves, to embrace comfort in the form of simple pleasures, and to mark the end of yet another sheltered day with non-anxiety-provoking rewards (and cue the moment it’s OK to change back into our PJs).

Which leads me to this bowl of dip. (As I said, simple pleasures.) I confess that I called this dinner when I made it (no one in my family objected), and I regret nothing. In my defense, it’s a homemade dip. It conjures childhood memories of additive- and salt-packed instant onion dips, while, in these modern times, it’s made from scratch with real ingredients. It’s also easy to put together, risking no inflection in your anxiety level.

And since I am feeling a little lighthearted these days, I have even provided two ways to make this dip. The first is a basic onion-packed dip, and the second is the same dip dressed up with a little extra bling, because, as mentioned, we deserve it. And while it’s not an evening at the theater or a festive party (so 2019), the bling adds a tiny hint of sparkle that we can enjoy on a Tuesday -- oops, Thursday -- night in our PJs.

Triple Onion Dip

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes plus cooling time

Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

3 shallots, halved and thinly sliced

2 scallions, white and green parts divided, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste, plus more for garnish

Optional bling:

1 to 2 teaspoons drained jarred horseradish

Salmon roe for sprinkling

Dill sprigs for garnish

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots and white scallions. Cook over medium heat until very soft and tinged golden in spots, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the lemon juice, then remove and cool to room temperature. When cool enough to handle, chop the onions and transfer to a bowl.

Whisk the cream cheese until light and smooth, then stir in the sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder to blend. Mix in the onions, salt and black pepper, and taste for seasoning. Garnish with the green scallions if not adding the optional dill.

Optional: Mix in 1 to 2 teaspoons drained jarred horseradish, to taste, with the onions. Garnish with the salmon roe and dill sprigs.

Serve with potato chips, pita chips or crudites.

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS