Smashed Jerusalem Artichokes

Source: The Culinary Vegetable Institute at The Chef’s Garden

This method is adapted from chef Gavin Kaysen. In the Small Farm Big Heart Provision Packs we offered, he precooked, smashed and fried small potatoes. The surface area created in this technique makes for an extremely addictive crispy bits with a soft creamy interior. Ultimately, all of these cooking techniques come from the classic puerto rican Tostones made from Plantain. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (450g) Jerusalem Artichokes (sunchokes), rinsed and trimmed of any dark spots
• Kosher salt
• ½ cup canola or other neutral oil
• ½  clamshell micro thyme leaves
• Flaky salt, such as Maldon or fleur de sel, for serving

Directions:

• In a medium saucepan, cover sunchokes with 1 inch cold water. Season generously with salt.  Set over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until a paring knife inserted into a sunchoke meets little resistance, about 10 minutes.
• Drain the sunchokes using a fine-mesh strainer or colander. When cool enough to handle, place sunchokes on work surface or cutting board. Working 1 sunchoke at a time, use the bottom of a plate to press firmly on each sunchoke until it is flattened but still intact. 
• In a large cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat until 320ºf. Add sunchokes in a single layer and cook without moving until well browned, about 3 minutes. Flip sunchokes and continue to cook, about 3 minutes longer. Add ½ the thyme and remove from heat. 
• Transfer sunchokes to a serving plate and garnish with remaining thyme and sprinkle with flaky salt. Serve immediately.

Jerusalem Artichokes for Digestive Health

In our site’s section on gut health, we offer you the ability to create your own box of fresh vegetables, which includes delicious Jerusalem artichokes. Functional medicine experts often say that everything starts in the gut, so it’s crucial to consume a diverse selection of minimally processed foods, including prebiotic, probiotic, and polyphenol rich vegetables, herbs, fruits, nuts, and seeds, and plenty of plant fiber.

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