Jerusalem Artichokes, also called sunchokes, are the edible tubers of a particular species of sunflower with the same name. They are found in the eastern half of the United States. Once cultivated as a popular food source by Native Americans, this ginger-resembling tuber rarely graces the table of Americans anymore.

Here is a photo of the plant 🌻 they come from, courtesy of Pinterest:

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rst encountered these last year in my CSA. I didn’t quite know what to do with them, so I tried putting them in a root vegetable mash. It was terrible. I don’t think it was the particular fault of the Jerusalem artichokes, it isn’t something I want to try again.

This year I tried something much better: Roasting them. The skin is completely edible, the flesh breaks down to the consistency of a soft, mushy potato, and the edges caramelize nicely. They have a slightly sweet, somewhat nutty, earthy flavor.

Fun fact: Jerusalem artichokes are about 3/4 inulin, so if you are a diabetic, you’d do well to substitute these in place of potatoes 🥔 in your meals a few times a week. Inulin has minimal impact on blood sugar.

Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes

Ingredients

• Small bag of Jerusalem artichokes. The bags my CSA gives out are about 12oz each.
• 1/8 cup Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Rosemary
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400F.
2. Scrub the dirt off of the Jerusalem artichokes. Leave the skin on, it is edible.
3. Cut them in half long-ways. You can also quarter them if they are particularly large.
4. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary.
   
   
5. Spread them cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet.
   
   
6. Roast for 20 minutes. (I decided to add roasted garlic powder here at the last minute when they came out of the oven. I don’t think it was necessary and I probably won’t use it next time.)
   
   
7. Serve.

Other flavors I think would work well with Jerusalem artichokes:

• Butter, mushrooms and thyme
• Butter and sage
• Garlic and cheese (you could make these into a gratin!)
• Bacon, cheese, and scallions. Think potato soup. These actually purée up into a creamy soup base.