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In the past month, I've eaten more mushrooms and tofu than I've had in the rest of my life combined. My tastes are shifting and while I still won't actively seek those ingredients, I'm not opposed to the meals I'm served. So, when a winery asked me to pair a meal with red wine, I froze a bit. I have this preset notion that red wine and vegetarian cooking equates to mushrooms. All roads lead back to mushrooms.
Except that's not true. To balance out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and richness of the butter, I added two earthy elements: neither are mushrooms. The celeriac brings a bit of balance but it's really the tarragon butter sauce that pulls this dish together with the pinot noir. It may seem like an odd combination, but the end result hints as the earthiness without being overpowering.
Sweet Potatoes/Pasta
- 1 medium sweet potato (¾ pound)
- 1/2 medium celeriac (celery root (¼ pound))
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 ounces whole wheat long pasta (like pappardelle)
Butter Sauce
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup crushed hazelnuts
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced tarragon
- Pinch of Salt
Preheat oven to 425˚F. Peel the sweet potato and celeriac then cut into ½” cubes. Toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread onto a sheet tray and roast until the vegetables are tender and starting to brown; 30 to 35 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, cook the pasta until tender. Drain and reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Set pasta aside.
Return the pan used for pasta back to the stovetop. Over medium-low heat, add the butter and let melt. Add the hazelnuts and cook for a couple minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for another minute; just long enough for the garlic to become golden. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, zest, tarragon, and salt.
Add in the roasted sweet potatoes and pasta; tossing until well combined. Add a splash of pasta water as needed to help the butter coat the noodles. This may or may not be needed. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts and minced tarragon if desired.
Tip + Tricks: Make the sweet potato mixture ahead of time and let it warm with the butter sauce. This will help cut-down the day-off time.
Use leftover ingredients: sweet potatoes, celeriac, tarragon Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time :30 minutes minutes
Celeriac Pasta with Tarragon Butter Sauce
variations
Grain Bowl: Swap out the pasta for your favorite grains. Roasted the vegetable then toss with the grains and the butter sauce. This also makes for a wonderful lunch the next day.
Gluten-Free Use your favorite gluten-free pasta. I tend to stick with a more mild-tasting brown rice pasta but any will work.
Vegan: While you could use a non-dairy butter, I prefer to switch over to olive oil. The flavor of the olive oil is a nice addition to the tarragon and sweet potatoes.
This looks so delicious - I adore the colours 😀 Can't wait to give it a try!