April 8th, 2012
Submitted by Emilia Warriner, Ottawa, ON; Tested by Roslyn Graham
Preheat oven to 425º.
Peel and chop celery root into 1" cubes. Put into medium-sized sauce pot and cover with chicken broth. Add garlic clove. Set on high heat and boil until celery root is tender (approximately 15 minutes).
While celery root is cooking, season each piece of steak with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat heavy oven-proof skillet on med-high heat until hot. Add olive oil and sliced shallots and then cook until shallots are browned and slightly crisp. Remove shallots from pan with slotted spoon, leaving the oil in the skillet.
Put 1 tablespoon canola oil into the skillet. Add the steaks and sear for approximately 3 minutes on each side. Place the skillet with the steaks on it into the oven and cook until desired doneness.
Remove steaks from skillet and cover with foil. Deglaze skillet over med-high heat with port for about 1 minute, scraping the skillet to lift brown bits. Add beef broth and juniper berries, and continue reducing the heat for about 5 minutes. Add in butter and continue to reduce.
Drain celery root and return to pot. Lightly mash the celery root. Add heavy cream and continue mashing until smooth consistency. Season with freshly ground pepper and additional salt if necessary.
Using a vegetable peeler, lightly shave some Roquefort over the steak. Drizzle hot port sauce over cheese and garnish with sliced crispy shallots. Serve with celery root mash and steamed green beans or green salad.