The fruit and vegetable world overflows with deceptive names, from English's lemongrass—there's no lemon in it—to French's pommes de terre—they'r'e not really apples. But you'll find no trickery in celery root. The warty, blobby vegetable is the underground portion of the thick green stalks everyone knows so well, though celery root usually comes from a variety raised for large roots and slim stalks.

Celery root, or celeriac, has the herby taste of celery and parsley but the starch content common to root vegetables. Like other roots, we feel that this one gets short shrift from shoppers turned off by the unattractive, alien shape. Think of this vegetable as an ugly duckling, its sweet and salty flesh the swan that adds interest to your dishes.