Jerusalem artichokes are one of my favourite root vegetables. These knobby roots are sweet, earthy and taste like honey when roasted.
I first spotted them when I moved to France. I asked a friend about how I could use them, bought a little bagful and then never used it. Partly because it was unknown territory and partly because I thought that I had to make something incredibly complicated to be able to get the most out of it. I couldn’t be more wrong. Keeping things simple, and letting the ingredients speak for themselves is something I learned over time with visits to the market. The belief was fortified when I experienced incredible flavours in the simple, market fresh salads I’d make: tomato and mozzarella or pear and beetroot.
Back to the Jerusalem artichoke. You don’t have to worry about peeling the Jerusalem artichokes – just scrub the muddy roots down well and they’re good to go. I tossed them in a little salt, pepper and olive oil and cooked them in the oven for 20 minutes. The skin got crispy and puffed up and on the inside, the Jerusalem artichoke was soft and buttery.
Jerusalem artichokes are pretty amazing made into a soup as well. Chrisitan Eschebest makes a Jerusalem artichoke soup with chorizo and hazelnut oil at his restaurant in Pigalle, and Inaki Aizpitarte did something pretty amazing – served a sweet purée of it with an almond granita, and at Chez Michel we made a mash to serve as a side. Here’s a pretty amazing Jerusalem artichoke gratiné that the people at Abri do.
If you’d like it a tiny bit more elaborate, I think fresh figs would make an excellent addition to this salad.
Jerusalem Artichoke Salad
Makes 2 generous portions
Jerusalem Artichokes
150g Jerusalem artichokes
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Scrub the Jerusalem artichokes very well with a brush. Toss with salt, pepper, olive oil and lay them on a baking sheet. Roast in an oven at 180C.
Shallots
Cut 2 shallots into thin slice slices. Soak in cold water for 15 minutes. Rinse well before draining off.
Vinaigrette
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp grainy mustard
1 tsp honey
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Whisk together all the ingredients except the olive oil until homogenous. Drizzle in the olive oil in a thin stream and continue to whisk until you have an emulsion.
Assemble the Salad
Wash and spin about 100g of mixed salad leaves. Toss with the shallots and vinaigrette. Spoon into a bowl. Arrange a few warm Jerusalem artichokes on top. Serve.