Roasted Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes)

This simple and crispy boiled and roasted sunchoke recipe brings out the sweetness, earthiness, and nuttiness of these Jerusalem Artichokes (another name for sunchokes).

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What are Sunchokes / Jerusalem Artichokes?

Sunchokes are often called Jerusalem Artichokes, although they are a variety of perennial sunflower.  However both the artichoke and the sunchoke are in the same family (Aster / Daisy).

The sunchoke is a tuber (botany lesson: underground horizontal stem also known as a rhizome) and looks knobby, similar to fresh ginger.

Basically, sunchokes are kinda like a root vegetable, similar to potatoes or horseradish in a sense because they grow underground as well.

Sunchokes are known to be invasive and take over large patches of ground. My grandma would make me remove them from her garden before they took over the vegetable patch.

Do Sunchokes give you gas?

Yup. Jerusalem artichokes can make you fart, pass wind, and burp, but not always. They are not referred to as fartichokes for no reason.

Plenty of people have no reaction to eating sunchokes. I generally don't have a reaction, but did once and did not enjoy it 🙂 My husband has never had a gassy reaction.

Long story short - be careful not to eat too many sunchokes the first time trying them. Jerusalem artichokes are not worth avoiding. Just don't eat too much unless you like passing wind!

Sunchokes have inulin - a carbohydrate that can occasionally cause bloating and gas.  Inulin doesn't break down like normal food as it travels through the digestive system.

Lastly, this starchy inulin is mostly irritating when eaten raw. Inulin breaks down bit by bit during the cooking process. If you are sensitive, add a little lemon juice or vinegar to the pot of boiling water when cooking the sunchokes and that should also help.

What do Jerusalem Artichokes Taste Like?

Sunchokes taste like a cross between a potato and an artichoke. They are a touch sweet, earthy, and nutty.

The skin is thin and edible so there is no need to peel them, and that's a good thing because sunchokes are pretty knobby and hard to peel.

Having said that, they can be quite dirty so peeling becomes a necessity unless you like to eat dirt.

How To Cook Sunchokes

• Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up.
• Rinse them of dirt.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and add some salt and a little (1 ½ -2 Tbsp) lemon juice or vinegar.
• Throw in the artichokes (the water may be foamy and dirty if all the dirt didn't come off). Don't sweat it. Just rinse them again when they're done boiling.
• Cook ~ 15 minutes or until al dente. Cool or throw in ice bath. Drain and dry off as much as possible.
• Slice in ½" inch coins. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Roast at 425F for ~ 20 minutes (flipping if necessary, may not be necessary depending on how your oven cooks / browns food) or until crispy.

Troubleshooting Roasting / Cooking Sunchokes

If the sunchokes boil too long they will become too soft to roast in the oven and also won't brown or caramlize. Take them out of the boiling water while they can still be sliced and are firm-ish.

If they are too soft: mash them chunky and serve with butter, cream, cheese, or sour cream. This roasted sunchoke recipe can easily turn into mashed sunchokes.

If there is still dirt on the sunchokes after rinsing just throw them in the pot of boiling water and rinse them after boiling. They may need some of the knobs cut off to get to the dirt.

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