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    Salsify in white sauce

    schorseneren in witte saus / salsifis à la béchamel

    Black salsify peeled into lemon water, poached in milk and water with a bouquet garni, then folded into a smooth béchamel seasoned with nutmeg and lemon. A Flemish winter vegetable dish from Jeroen Meus's Dagelijkse kost, served with boiled potatoes and a pork chop.

    Short peeled salsify pieces in creamy white sauce with pepper and nutmeg flecks,in a white bowl painted in brown ink and watercolor.
    Editorial illustration of the documented recipe; not a photograph of a kitchen-tested result.
    Servings
    4
    Preparation
    25 min
    Cooking
    30 min
    Total
    55 min
    Difficulty
    Easy

    Equipment

    • Vegetable peeler and thin rubber or latex gloves
    • Bowl of cold water with lemon juice
    • Two saucepans; balloon whisk; kitchen string
    Servings4

    Ingredients

    • The salsify

    • The white sauce

    Shopping list

    Method

    1. Wash the salsify under running water, rubbing off all the soil and sand. Put on gloves before peeling.

      Why Salsify gives off a sticky milky sap that leaves stubborn stains; the Flemish nicknames *keukenmeidenverdriet* (kitchen maid's sorrow) and *huisvrouwenleed* come from it.

    2. Fill a bowl with cold water and the juice of half a lemon. Cut off the tops and tails, peel each root with a peeler, cut it into pieces of 3–4 cm and drop them straight into the lemon water.

      Why Peeled salsify darkens quickly in the air; the acid keeps it white.

    3. Tie the thyme, bay and parsley stalks into a bouquet garni. Bring the milk and the same quantity of water to the boil, add the salsify and the bouquet and cook for 15–20 minutes, until tender.

      Why Meus notes you can cook the salsify in milk only and use that milk for the sauce; then watch that it does not boil over.

      Timer · 18 min18:00

    4. For the sauce, melt the butter, add the flour and let the roux dry out over the heat while stirring with a whisk, without letting it catch. As soon as it smells of biscuit, pour in the milk and keep whisking until the sauce binds into a smooth béchamel. Add a little extra milk if it is too thick.

    5. Drain the salsify and fold it into the sauce. Season with nutmeg, plenty of black pepper, a pinch of salt and a very small splash of lemon juice, tasting as you go. Keep warm until serving.

    To drink & serve with

    • Meus serves it with boiled potatoes and a pork chop seared in butter.

    Substitutions

    • Fresh salsify → Jarred salsify, drained and rinsed, heated directly in the sauce.
    • Plain flour (gluten-free) → Cornflour slaked in cold milk, whisked into the hot milk and butter.

    Common mistakes

    • Peeling without gloves: the sap stains hands for days.
    • Leaving peeled salsify in the air: it turns brown.
    • A sauce that is too thick: thin it with milk; it should coat, not clump.

    Storage & reheating

    Refrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 2 days. Reheat gently, adding a little milk, until steaming hot.

    Safety

    Contains gluten (flour) and milk.

    Allergens

    Gluten · Milk

    Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.

    Dietary

    vegetarian

    The kitchen maid's sorrow

    Black salsify, schorseneer in Dutch, is a long, black-skinned winter root. Jeroen Meus admits it has lost some of its popularity and blames the nicknames: keukenmeidenverdriet, 'kitchen maid's sorrow', and huisvrouwenleed, 'housewife's grief', which it probably owes to the sap that stains everything it touches. His answer is the classic Flemish preparation, salsify in white sauce with boiled potatoes and a chop.

    [1]

    Lemon water, milk and a biscuit-scented roux

    The roots go into lemon water as soon as they are peeled, then poach in half milk, half water with thyme, bay and parsley stalks, which keeps them pale and mild. The béchamel is cooked until the roux smells of biscuit before the milk goes in, then seasoned with nutmeg, pepper and only a very small splash of lemon.

    [1]

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