Meet the Mighty Sunchoke

Helianthus tuberosus, also known as the Earth Apple, Sunroot, Sunchoke or Jerusalem Artichoke, is a gnarly tuber that comes from a wild sunflower native to central North America! It was then brought back to Europe where it is now widely planted and “naturalized.” Here at Vista Verde Ranch, we get them from Mexico and the southern reaches of the US from November to April.

They have rippled, brown skin and a crisp white interior. Although the skin is edible, they are generally peeled before use. At the Ranch, more times than not, we just scrub them well and move on. Avoid buying soft or obviously bruised chokes as they will spoil before you know it. Once purchased, plan on using them within a week as they do tend to go bad quickly. Just put them in a low humidity produce drawer in the fridge and you should be good to go for several days.

Five Ways to Use Sunchokes in Your Next Meal

• Peel and cook them with potatoes to make a wonderful potato-sunchoke mash (c’mon, don’t be shy with butter and cream folks. Heavy cream is heavenly.)
• Peel them and cook them in milk over low temp, puree when tender, and add some of the cooking liquid, kosher salt, and white pepper, but again, for more fun, use half and half. Flavor, baby, flavor.
• Slice them thin on a mandolin and fry them until crispy, remove to paper towels, and season immediately with salt. Serve as a great munchie ,a garnish in a salad or on a nice piece of fish. We prefer halibut or salmon.
• Wash them, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast until tender, about 30-45 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Smash them or toss with some fresh herbs or cut them in about 1” pieces and fry them in olive oil. Mmmmmm, so tasty.
• One final favorite: Peel them, place in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until tender. When ready, drain them, cut into abstract pieces (dodecahedrons perhaps?). Heat a sauté pan (medium to medium-high), add butter, and when the butter begins to foam, add the chokes, season, and sauté. Toss with a little chopped parsley and thyme (fresh only, you heathens!), season with salt and pepper, and voilà: pure yumminess.

Fun Facts about Sunchokes

Sunchokes are naturally a little sweet but because of the carbohydrate inulin, which is not processed in the intestines, they will not cause a glycemic spike (like potatoes do) and they’ll give your gut biome a healthy boost!

Looking for More Culinary Inspiration?

Check out all our ranch recipes HERE.