Roasted Sunchokes with Lemon & Thyme

Roasted sunchokes are crispy on the outside but tender, sweet, and nutty on the inside. You’ll love the zing of lemon & thyme that tantalize your tastebuds!

This was inspired by my Roasted Potato And Green Bean Salad which I love to make during the summer months when green beans are in season. Besides potatoes, winter brings seasonal root vegetables that like turnip, rutabaga, beets, and parsnip that also taste delicious when roasted.

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• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Roasted Sunchokes with Lemon & Thyme

Ingredients

The star of this recipe is sunchokes, a.k.a. Jerusalem artichokes. The Jerusalem Artichoke is not an artichoke but a member of the sunflower family. It looks nothing like an artichoke (more like a tiny potato or ginger) but is a dark brown, lumpy-looking tuber. It also does not originate in Jerusalem; its name comes from the Spanish and Italian word Girasole, which means sunflower! The word artichoke was used to describe these root vegetables due to their similar taste, but otherwise, the name is entirely misleading. As if this wasn’t confusing enough, the Jerusalem artichoke is often referred to as a sunchoke, at least a more appropriate term.

Sunchokes are root vegetables with a distinct starchy taste. They cook like potatoes, where the outer skin becomes crispy, and the insides are tender, sweet, nutty, and white like potatoes.

They can be purchased from your local market in the winter months. When shopping, seek out sunchokes that are firm and light brown, primarily free of dark spots.

To make Roasted Sunchokes with Lemon & Thyme requires few ingredients:

• sunchokes
• olive oil
• thyme
• lemon
• sea salt

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Making a side dish doesn’t get much easier than this. That’s why I love roasting vegetables! Start by scrubbing the sunchokes clean with a vegetable brush. They can be a bit dirty since they do grow in the dirt.

If you notice a few dark spots on the sunchokes, you can cut them away or leave them be as long as they aren’t soft. After scrubbing clean, you can peel them, but leave the skin on for this recipe. It is edible and adds extra flavor and crispiness!

Cut into finger size pieces, preferably length-wise. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet – drizzle with olive oil and a hint of sea salt. Roast at 375° for approximately 30 minutes or until light brown and crispy.

Shift them around with a spatula during roasting to ensure they brown on all sides. Top with lemon, thyme, and sea salt mixture once finished baking.

Variations

Sunchokes can be cooked in various ways and with different spices:

• Spices – flavored sea salt, garlic powder, coriander, nutmeg, fennel seed
• Herbs – parsley, rosemary, sage
• Technique – mash, roast, air fry, grilled, peeled, or whole

Check out my Simple Sunchokes Chips Recipe made with an air fryer!

Equipment

Roasted sunchokes are best when baked in an oven – toaster ovens are also great as long as the sunchokes don’t overlap and touch each other.

Or you can roast them in an air fryer for less time and with less oil!

Storage

Disregard their rugged look; sunchokes require care when storing. Raw sunchokes should be stored in a plastic/reusable produce bag and wrapped in paper towels to absorb moisture. It is best to use them within seven to ten days,

Once cooked, roasted sunchokes are best to serve fresh out of the oven when they are crispy. But trust me, they are still delicious to pick on as a cold leftover. I like to add leftover sunchokes to a salad the next day, cut up into smaller pieces.

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