Coarse and unrefined? You must have me mistaken for another vegetable.

Celery root is not an attractive item, but I highly recommend you put aside your shallow prejudices and get out the blender. This is delicious. If you're skeptical of the lumpy, brownish root, remember that nothing fails when pureed with butter and cream.

Celery Root Puree

Adapted from Serious Eats.

• 1 medium celery root, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 or 2 small potatoes (about 6 ounces), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 apple (Granny Smith suggested), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 2 T butter
• Salt and pepper

Place celery root and potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes, then add the apple and continue boiling until all are tender (5-10 minutes).

Strain vegetables, then stir around in dry pot over medium heat for a moment, to steam off any excess water. Stir in cream and butter. Puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender (stirring once or twice to ensure no lumps hide in the corners of the pot). Season generously with salt, more gently with pepper, dot with a few tiny pats of butter (why not?) and serve.

You know, this reminds me of another magical transformation -- brownish, gnarly creature to delightful accompaniment (plus the buttery yellow of a Disney ball gown). Let's sing together. "Tale as old as time! Song as old as rhyme ... "

Crispy, buttery potatoes

All the work here is in slicing potatoes thinly -- an excellent exercise in knife skills, and a delightfully buttery side dish. Or, use a mandolin for more precise slices.

Crispy, buttery potatoes

• 2 T butter
• 2 T olive oil
• 4-6 yukon gold potatoes, enough to fill your casserole dish
• Salt, pepper
• Thyme (dried or fresh)
• 4-6 cloves of garlic

Preheat oven to 400. Slice potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices, keeping in order (this allows the most attractive presentation).

Melt butter. Add butter and oil to a 9-inch casserole dish. Arrange potatoes in dish. (I arranged them end-to-end in a circle around the dish, then put the smallest potatoes in the center.) Stuff garlic cloves into gaps between potatoes.

Bake for about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper, spoon some of the butter and oil over the top of potatoes, and bake for another half hour or so -- as long as the potatoes are cooked through, but don't burn, the timing is not particularly precise.