Roasted Sunchokes

with capers and a creamy tarragon dressing

Recipe Credit: Milk Street Vegetables by Christopher Kimball

Ingredients

▢ 2 lbs sunchokes
▢ 1 medium onion
▢ 3 tbsp olive oil
▢ salt and black pepper
▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
▢ 1 garlic clove
▢ 1/4 cup fresh tarragon or 1 tsp dried tarragon
▢ 4 tbsp lemon juice
▢ 2 tbsp capers (optional)
▢ 1 pkg pea shoots or arugula

Directions

Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the lowest position. In a large bowl, toss together the sunchokes, onion, oil and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Distribute in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet; reserve the bowl. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until the vegetables are browned and a skewer inserted into the sunchokes meets no resistance, 25 to 35 minutes.
Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, garlic, tarragon, half of the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste
When the vegetables are done, return them to the bowl. Add the capers and remaining lemon juice; toss to combine, then let stand for 10 minutes. Toss in the greens. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with the sour cream mixture.

More About Sunchokes

Sunchokes belong in the sunflower family and can grow over twelve feet tall in a single season. But it’s not their yellow flower we’re after. In late fall, sunchokes pump all their energy into the production of edible tubers that form below the surface.

I like to grow sunchokes along the fence line that separates our pasture from the market garden. They choke out weeds and block light preventing the spread of clover and buttercup that tends to creep in from the pasture. I can use the fence to tie up the sunchokes to prevent them from falling over in the fall when it’s windy.

Sunchokes demand rich, well-draining, loose soil and enough moisture through the growing season. At planting time tubers should be spaced around one foot apart. If they’re too crowded, you’ll end up with lots of small tubers instead of large clumps of plump ones. You can use the tubers we sell as starter plants for your garden and they can be planted four inches deep between the months of November and April. They have a nutty, potato-like, earthy flavour and they’re great roasted.