Really. They’re delicious. Perhaps it is the case of anything roasted with enough olive oil and salt will taste good, but I think there is something more to these little nuggets. They are not as starchy as a potato, sweeter and a bit more moist in texture, kind of like a water chestnut-kholrabi-rutabaga-potatoish thing, but they too become supreme when roasted at high heat. They’re in the markets now, so be brave and take home a bag full.
Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)
some Jerusalem Artichokes, rinsed with water and scrubbed with a vegetable brush
olive oil
sea salt
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Dry the sunchokes in a clean kitchen towel and cut them into quarters, or smaller pieces if they are really large and gnarly. You want pieces about the same size so they will roast at about the same rate.
2. Place the cut sunchokes on a cookie sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 40-50 minutes until golden brown on the outside and tender when you poke with a fork.
Amy’s Kitchen Coach Tips
- Jerusalem Artichokes are the tubers from a type of sunflower, hence their other name, “sunchoke”, which seems to make a bit more sense to me, since they are neither artichokes nor from Jerusalem. There you go. Sunchoke.
- Be careful not to go too hot or too long in the oven, as the sugars in these will caramelize and burn more easily than roasted potatoes.
- Serve with brown rice and a green veggie. If you’re not a vegetarian, these are fantastic as a side for lamb. (Thanks, Betsy!)
