Makes: About 20 latkes
Ingredients:
For the latkes:
• 2 ½ pounds celery root, trimmed and peeled (about 4 medium celery roots)
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup matzo meal
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
To assemble:
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard or prepared horseradish
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 12 ounces (340 g) thinly sliced pastrami, at room temperature or warmed
• 3 kosher dill pickles, thinly sliced on the bias
Method:
For the latkes:
- Heat the oven to 250°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet and set aside.
- Using the coarse holes on a box grater or the medium-coarse shredding disk of a food processor, shred the celery root and onion and place in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs, matzo meal, and measured salt and pepper and stir to combine; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until a piece of celery root instantly sizzles when dropped in, about 4 – 5 minutes. Using a ¼-cup measuring cup, scoop up the celery root mixture, tightly pack it, and carefully drop it into the pan. Repeat until you have 4 mounds. Using a spatula, gently press each mound into a flat disk about ½ inch thick. Fry undisturbed until the bottoms of the latkes are golden brown, about 1½ to 2 minutes. Flip and fry until the latkes are golden brown on the other side, about 1 ½ to 2 minutes more.
- Transfer the latkes to the rack on the prepared baking sheet, season with salt, and place in the oven to keep warm. Using a slotted spoon, skim and discard any bits of latke remaining in the pan. Repeat frying the remaining celery root mixture 4 latkes at a time until all of the mixture has been used. (Make sure to skim the remaining bits of latke between each batch.)
To assemble:
- Place the mayonnaise and mustard or horseradish in a small bowl, season with pepper, and stir to combine.
- Spread about 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise mixture on each latke. Divide the pastrami among the latkes. Top with the pickle slices and serve immediately.
http://www.chow.com/recipes/30293-celery-root-latkes-with-pastrami