Celeriac Salad

Salade de céleri-rave (celeriac salad) teaches one true thing: mustard can discipline a raw root, but only the knife makes it tender. Cut the celeriac finely and evenly, and the dressing softens its earthy force while leaving a clean snap. Leave the pieces thick, and no quantity of mayonnaise will persuade them to behave.

The original entry assumed a garde-manger cutting trays of julienne and a saucier handing over finished mustard mayonnaise or mustard cream. No stockpot or salamander belongs near this cold dish. For four people at home, one yolk, a whisk, and a medium bowl replace the separate stations; this version follows the entry's clear mustard-mayonnaise branch because it clings lightly to the fine cut without burying it. The brigade divisions were scaffolding and can go. The raw julienne and the generous mustard are the dish, and they stay.

There is no pan to touch tonight, only a root to peel honestly and a mayonnaise to keep calm. Cut the celeriac no thicker than a matchstick and dress it promptly. That is the step that decides everything.