Toasts de céleri au saumon fumé

This is from a french cookbook I've had for years, Moi, je cuisine solo ou duo (something like I cook for myself or for two - once again, it sounds so much better in French) by Brigitte Namour. I bought it when I was a student living on my own in Lausanne and I've been faithful to it ever since. The toasts de céleri au saumon fumé (celeriac toasts with smoked salmon) are one of the lovely dishes featured. Easy to make for one or two persons, for more it might be a bit of a hassle.

Toasts de céleri au saumon fumé (serves one)

• one celeriac (you only need two slices, use the rest in a soup)
• 2 heaped tablespoons cottage cheese
• salt and pepper
• dill
• some olive oil or butter for frying
• two slices of smoked salmon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• some radish sprouts

Peel the celeriac and cut two 1/2cm-thick slices. Boil the slices in salted water with the lemon juice until soft. Drain and fry over medium heat until lightly browned on both sides. In the meantime, mix the cottage cheese with the dill and season with salt and pepper. Put the celeriac slices on a plate, add the cottage cheese, the radish sprouts and top with a slice of smoked salmon. Serve with a slice of grilled country bread.

The books recommends this with a shot of vodka les jours où rien ne va plus (on days where everything goes wrong). I remembered the bottle of Absolut Vodka that has been sitting in my freezer - and in other apartments' freezers before that - and I decided to give it a try; after all, my week had been just as frantic as the capital markets. I'm not a huge fan of vodka but it was a suprisingly tasty combination. Try a strong, fruity white wine if the vodka is a bit too much for you. The radish sprouts are my addition; the original recipe uses caviar (or any other fish roe) instead. I love caviar but as it was, we - er - had just run out.