Root Vegetables Anna

Nature works in very mysterious ways. Just when the delicate fruits and vegetables of summer are depleted, another source of food appears to give us sustenance. These are the root vegetables, which feed humans throughout the cold, barren winter until spring’s bounty emerges.

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Peel the potatoes, celery root, and turnip. Using a V-shaped slicer or food processor, cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Place in a bowl, but do not rinse or cover with water. Repeat with the celery root and turnip; you should have about 2 cups combined celery root and turnip.
• Immediately melt the butter in a 9-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the butter into a heatproof bowl. Arrange half of the potatoes in concentric circles in the skillet. Season with half of the salt and pepper. Arrange the celery root and turnip over the potatoes and sprinkle with the rosemary. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter and half of the remaining salt and pepper. Top with the remaining potatoes and salt and pepper. Press the vegetables with your hands to make an even thickness. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover tightly, preferably with a flat, and not domed, lid. Cook until the bottom layer of the potatoes is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Holding the lid and skillet together, invert to unmold the root vegetable “cake” onto the lid. (If your skillet lid is domed, substitute a large, flat plate when inverting the vegetables.) Pour the remaining butter into the skillet and swirl the skillet to coat the inside with butter. Slide the cake off the lid and back into the skillet, browned side up. If the skillet handle is not heatproof, wrap in aluminum foil.
• Place the cake in the oven and bake until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 30 minutes. Slide onto a platter, cut into wedges, and serve.