Celeriac steak with mash and gochujang sauce

Wash and dry the celeriac well. Slice it into four ½-inch-thick discs, and then carefully slice off the outside skin, being careful not to remove more than ½cm from each disc. Use a sharp knife to score shallow lines ½cm apart across the top of each disc, then rotate each disc by 45 degrees and repeat so the score lines form rough diamonds. Set aside.

To make the marinade, whisk together the wine, olive oil, liquid smoke, soy sauce, maple syrup, thyme and peppercorns. Transfer three-quarters of the marinade to a bowl and set aside.

Transfer the discs to a large reusable ziplock bag and pour in the remaining quarter of the marinade. If the celeriac is not fully coated, use a little more marinade from the bowl. Seal the bag and put in the fridge to marinate for 1-4 hours.

Once the celeriac is marinated, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Remove the celeriac from the marinade and put on the tray, scored-side up. Using a pastry brush, coat the celeriac in a little extra marinade before putting the tray in the oven.

Cook for 15 minutes before turning the discs over, brushing with a little extra marinade and cooking for a further 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining marinade for the sauce.

While the celeriac cooks, make the mash. Heat a large pan of water until boiling, then cook the potatoes for 20 minutes until very tender and a knife can easily be inserted into the centres. Drain the potatoes and leave them to steam in the colander for 5 minutes.

Return the potatoes to the pan and mash well until smooth. Add the butter and then the soy milk a splash at a time (you may not need all of it). Season with salt and pepper then cover to keep warm.

To make the sauce, add the gochujang and soy milk to the reserved marinade, and whisk until combined. Pour the mixture into a medium, high-sided frying pan and warm over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, but don’t allow the sauce to boil. Reduce the sauce by half until you have a glossy, aromatic sauce which is a chocolatey brown colour. If the sauce thickens too much, use a little extra wine to thin it out.

Serve the celeriac steaks, scored-side up, on top of the mash with a generous serving of sauce on top.