You’ll Be Snacking on These Crispy Sunchokes Like They’re French Fries

Known by a variety of names—including Jerusalem artichokes and earth apples—sunchokes are neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke, but rather a species of sunflower. The edible roots look like ginger roots, and while you can eat them raw, they’re absolutely dynamite when roasted in the oven. Sunchokes can be harvested at various times of year in Canada but taste best after a hard frost. If the ground remains unfrozen in winter, you can dig these gems up in January. Most often, you’ll find them at farmers’ markets between November and February. Roasting them until crispy turns these knobby tubers into orbs of glory; great on their own but even better when dipped in an herbed aioli.

(Related: A Recipe for Sea Buckthorn and Thyme Posset, Excerpted from “Prairie”)

Crispy Sunchokes with Herbed Aioli

Serves 4

Ingredients

Aioli

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 egg yolks
• 1½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 cup canola oil
• ½ tsp white pepper

Main

• 2 Tbsp canola oil, divided 1½ lb sunchokes
• ½ cup Aioli
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp chopped tarragon
• ¼ tsp Maldon sea salt, for finishing

 Directions

Aioli

Add the garlic and salt to a mortar and use a pestle to grind into a paste.

To a large bowl, add the egg yolks and vinegar and whisk until blended. Add the garlic paste and blend. Slowly whisk in the oil until the mixture emulsifies and thickens into a sauce. Add the pepper and whisk to incorporate.

Taste the aioli and season with a bit more salt (if needed). Store in a lidded container in the fridge, and mark the date on the label. Because this recipe contains raw egg yolks, it should be consumed within 4 days.

Main

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour 1 Tbsp of the oil over the surface. Use the back of a large spoon to spread the oil evenly on the sheet.

Rinse the sunchokes and cut off any blackened parts. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the sunchokes, cook until fork-tender (about 15 minutes), and drain.

Place the sunchokes on the prepared baking sheet and, with the back of a coffee cup, gently press down on each sunchoke until it cracks and flattens to about ½ inch thick. Drizzle with the remaining 1 Tbsp oil. Bake for 15 minutes, and then turn the sunchokes over with a spatula and bake until they’ve reached a desirable crispy texture, about 10 minutes more.

While the sunchokes are baking, place the aioli in a small bowl, add the parsley and tarragon, and mix well with a fork.

Finish the sunchokes with Maldon sea salt and serve them warm on a platter with a small bowl of aioli in the centre.

Excerpted from Prairie by Dan Clapson and Twyla Campbell. Copyright © 2023 Dan Clapson and Twyla Campbell. Photographs by Dong Kim. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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