Herb Roasted Sunchokes, often called Jerusalem Artichokes or Sunflower Chokes, are an unusual and delicious vegetable. They make for a lovely fall side dish, or can be added to salads and other recipes.
My grandparents never tasted a food they didn’t like the look of.
My grandmother hated olives, but she’d never had one because she didn’t like the look of them. My grandfather thought mushrooms were the worst, but he’d never eaten one. (Or so he thought. My mom used to sneak them in various meals and he never even knew it.)
I think sunchokes are one of those foods that people just might not like the look of and not ever try.
And they’d really be missing out! Especially with these delicious Herb Roasted Sunchokes which are cooked to a golden crisp perfection.
What is a sunchoke?
- A variety of a sunflower root, a sunchoke is a brown, lumpy tuber vegetable that resembles ginger root.
- Sunchokes are sometimes referred to as Jerusalem Artichokes, though they’re not an artichoke nor are they from Jerusalem. Here’s some history about their name.
- Though they’re not starchy, they’re often compared to potatoes.
- Instead of starch, inulin is the carbohydrate found in sunchokes.
What do sunchokes taste like?
- Sunchokes taste similar to a water chestnut when raw -- they're a bit nutty, crunchy and subtly sweet.
- When cooked, the flavor is similar but a bit reminiscent of an artichoke or cauliflower -- especially in texture.
How do you eat and cook a sunchoke?
- With eatable skin, sunchokes can be eaten raw or cooked.
- You can roast, fry, sauté, or even grill sunchokes.
- Sunchokes can also be cooked, puréed and made into delicious soups.
What's in this recipe?
- sunchokes
- olive oil
- rosemary
- oregano
- salt, pepper
How to Make Herb Roasted Sunchokes
- Wash, dry, and cut the sunchokes into slices.
- Drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan, add the sunchokes and herbs and mix.
 - Season with salt and pepper and roast in a 450°F oven until the bottom of the slices are golden brown. Flip the slices over and repeat. Let them cool and serve.
(More detailed instructions are below.)
A word of caution . . . The inulin can cause gas and bloating — only in some people. A sensitivity to inulin varies from person to person and not all sunchokes contain the same amount.
Here are a couple of methods to try to when cooking sunchokes to avoid gas.
Maybe take it slow the first time you try them. Just saying. 😉
When are sunchokes in season?
Sunchokes are in season from approximately October to April.
You can find them at Gelson's Markets, Bristol Farms and Whole foods. They are also available from Melissa’s Produce.
There are a lot of ways one could work with this odd looking tuber, and I hope you’ll give the herb roasted sunchokes a go because I think you’ll love them.
Enjoy!
Roasted Sunchokes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound sunchokes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Set the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F and adjust a rack to the center.
- Prepare the sunchokes. Wash and dry the sunchokes and cut them into ¼ to ½ inch slices. Drizzle the olive oil on a sheet pan and then add the sun choke slices. Mix to be sure they’re well coated. Now sprinkle them with the herbs and mix again. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Roast. Place the sheet pan in the oven. Roast until the bottom of the slices are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Flip the slices over and repeat. Let them cool and serve.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Pleasant
Good recipe, I just didn’t like the taste. Everyone else was a fan though
Valentina
Hi there. Happy to hear those you cooked for enjoyed the sunchokes. Sorry you weren't a fan. Thanks for trying the recipe and visiting my site. 🙂 ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
I rarely cook sunchokes, alas. Mainly, I think, because they're always in the "forgotten" section of the produce department. You know, that weird part off to the side where they put all the "exotic" stuff that no one ever buys. And I never buy it because I never notice it (I'm really big into buying what looks good). Anyway, I need to add sunchokes to my list so I'll be sure to get them. Good recipe -- thanks.
valentina
Thanks, John. Yes, they are often something I completely forget about until I spot them. 🙂 ~Valentina