Roasted Sunchokes

Quick To Shrivel

By the time the third sunchoke hit the plate, they’d shriveled even more.

Love them or hate them?  Neither, but, they’re tasty.  And, I’d make them again.  Next time, I’d like to try some very young ones.  These are more like fussy teens.

So, what is a Jerusalum artichoke?  It’s the root of a species of native Eastern American sunflower.  And, it can also be found in Eastern Canada.  It’s known by many names.  To name a few, it’s commonly called a sunchoke, sunroot, earth apple, and more.

Raw, the texture is hard and crisp.  It’s sort of like a cross between a super crisp jicama and a water chestnut with a touch something that is savory and a barely there nutty flavor.  Roasted, the texture is a bit like other moist root vegetables.  Similar to a roasted carrot or parsnip, only the dark golden roasted edges remain crisp.  The inside is moist and tender.  The flavor is reminiscent of a moist, sweet yukon gold potato crossed with a delicate touch of artichoke.  But, honestly, if I’m in the mood for something that tastes like artichoke without the fuss, I’d go for cardoons.  When it comes to vegetables, cardoons rock.

This root vegetable has a dark side, though.  So, I’ll offer fair warning.  While researching the time to roast my sunchokes.  I came across this article on Bon Appétit’s website.  Would you like the CliffsNotes version?  They’re also known as the “Fartichoke”.  And, they might cause an upset stomach, gas, and a laxative-like effect.  If you’re sensitive to fruits high in fructose like the apple.  You might want to try a small amount of roasted sunchoke to see how your body deals with the hard to digest starches.

For the ladies out there, they’re iron content is quite high.  In a 100 gram serving (That’s 3.5 ounces or a generous side dish serving), they have 3.4 mg of iron.That’s about triple of the amount of iron as a serving of broccoli.  And, they’re rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, Vitamin C and a few of the Bs.

They do darken a little bit like a potato on cut edges.  But, they’re much easier to manage.  And, you have significantly longer handling time before it becomes an issue.

Roasted Sunchokes
serves 4-6
(Small servings are best.  Read above.)

1 lb sunchokes, well-washed
olive oil
fine sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

If your sunchokes are small and young, quarter them.  If they’re larger, cut them into wedge shapes.  Toss in olive oil.  Then, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Toss to redistribute the olive oil.  Then, raise the temperature to 425 and continue to roast until tender in the center and gold brown on the edges.  That’s about another 30-45 minutes.  Toss in roasting pan at about the 45 minute mark, too.

Serve small portions with protein and veggies of your choice.

For what it’s worth, they didn’t bother my stomach at all.