Instructions: Allow 90 minutes total; can be made in 20 if you precook celeriac and recruit helper to chop and mash.

CHICKEN: skinned boned breast halves, trimmed. We sliced each fillet in half to about 1/4" thickness.

MUSHROOMS: domestic and wild (chanterelle, shiitake, oyster, porcini, etc)

VEG: Reserve cooking liquid from potato and broccoli. Use as broth to thin sauce.

Chop the green ONION or chive or shallot and set aside.

CELERIAC / CELERY ROOT (20-25 mins)... Use vegetable brush to loosen any dirt. On a cutting board, peel the celery root (with a sturdy peeler or a sharp knife). Wash off any dirt. Cut the root into 1" pieces. Place them in a pot and cover with cold water. Add a squeeze of lemon, and a little salt. Bring the celery root to a boil, and cook until they are very tender. Drain off the water.

POTATOES and BROCCOLI (7 to 10 mins)... Meanwhile, bring at about three cups of water to a boil in a sauce pan that may be fitted with a steamer.

Peel and cut the potato into 1/2" cubes. Clean the broccoli and cut into 1-1/2" florets. Steam the two vegetables together, covered.

MASH or puree the drained celery root, adding the cooked potatoes removed from the pot with a slotted spoon so that you reserve the liquid. Add salt and pepper, to taste. (Dueck recommends using a food processor or food mill, until smooth. We used a potato masher, salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon of diet butter.) Set aside, keep warm.

MUSHROOM SAUCE (5 to 10 mins)... coarsely chop the mushrooms with the fresh rosemary in a food processor. Saute over medium heat with 1 teaspoon of diet butter along with the garlic, if using. Season to taste with pepper. Add water from the cooked vegetables, a little at a time and reduce. Repeat. Let simmer.

CHICKEN (5 mins if sliced; double the time if not sliced) .. Place a grill pan (the ridged kind) on medium high heat, and spray with a little olive oil. Grill the chicken pieces, about 3 mins on the first side, and 2 on the second, until the juice runs clear from the chicken.

Remove the chicken from the pan, and set aside to keep warm.

Add the shallots to the pan with remaining teaspoon of butter. Stir briefly, but do not brown; warm the onion.

Optional: add remaining vegetable cooking liquid to the mushroom sauce and heat. Dissolve the potato starch in some water and use to thick the sauce into a gravy.

Serve: Place a scoop of the root vegetable mash on a plate; position two pieces of sliced chicken breast along side. Top chicken with mushroom gravy. Drain the broccoli and place on the plate. Sprinkle the mash and chicken with the onion. Have fresh fruit for dessert.

Tip
* You can wash the celery root while brushing; allow to dry before peeling with a vegetable peeler.
* You may substitute dry mushrooms for fresh ones, but soak them in warm water first. The liquid can be used in the sauce if strained.
* Timing: cook the celery root ahead and let sit in its hot water to continue to stew on stored heat.

Alternative side dish: Swiss chard, fresh spinach or rapini.

Jeff is a chef For 4 Seasons Hotels, Bistro 990, and Canoe; teacher at

NOTES : Delightful flavors. The aroma of peeled celeriac was "heady." A bit of a bother but do-able with two cooks. Pre-cook what you can.

We halved the meat and the mushroom sauce but made all of the celery root. The left over can be pureed and used to thicken a stews gravy; or pressed into "potato pancakes" in a few days; etc. -Warning! lots of clean up.

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