Roasted Sunchokes
This was my first experience with sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes. First of all let’s establish that these aren’t anything like artichokes as they’re not part of the artichoke family and they’re not from Jerusalem. Sunchokes are actually the tuberous roots of a sunflower plant. Interesting, huh? Sunchokes come in all shapes and sizes, and look very similar to fresh ginger root. How do they taste? They taste very similar to a Yukon gold potato, with a creamy smooth texture. Give them a try, you’ll like them!
Ingredients
1 lb sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes), rinsed and scrubbed
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme, finely chopped or 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
freshly ground black pepper
heavy duty aluminum foil- I prefer the non-stick aluminum foil
parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit with rack in the center position
Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil that will be large enough to fit all sunchokes when wrapped and sealed, and place the sunchokes near the corner of one end.
Sprinkle with thyme and a few grindings of black pepper and fold up the aluminum, making sure to seal the edges so steam doesn’t escape.
Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until sunchokes are tender when you give them a gentle pinch.
Once they’re tender, remove from the oven and take out of the aluminum foil. Slice each sunchoke in half lengthwise and place on on the lined baking sheet and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes or until they crisp up a bit. If you have an air fryer, rather than put them in the oven place sliced sunchokes in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy as an appetizer with a Dijon mustard dipping sauce or as a side dish to any meal.
Yields 4 side servings
