👋+: A Sunchoke Gratin

slice thinly and enjoy (+ how to cook the perfect egg)

Allô! 👋

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While stored vegetables and frost-tolerant crops grown under cover still form the bulk of fresh local produce at the moment*, there’s a good chance that any sunchokes you come across between late autumn and early spring have, in fact, not been stored for very long at all. That’s because — much like potatoes — sunchokes are tubers that can be kept in the ground for weeks or months until one is ready to dig them up.

They tend to overwinter quite well, in spite of frosty temperatures. In snowier parts of the world, however, any local sunchokes you find now will likely have been kept in cold storage for the last few months — this is good news in spring, as any stashed sunchokes you find at this end of the calendar tend to be more easily digested than those served early on during the fall (thank the slow degradation of inulin into more digestible sugars for that!).

*please note that I live in Norway; you may live in a place with more options than I have access to (who knows? maybe the imported citrus I’ve been enjoying lately has been grown rather near you!)

If sunchokes are still new to you, fear not: they are easy to prepare and quite delicious. A bit sweet, a bit nutty, and pleasantly mild to boot. You can peel their skin if you like, though I often prefer not to (especially as it tends to be so thin). Unlike potatoes, you can eat sunchokes raw, but like beetroot or kohlrabi, you’ll want to slice or shred them finely before doing so. To reduce any potential digestive hiccups, dress them with something lemony or vinegary (or you could even try lacto-fermentation) — adding acidity is key.

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As this recipe is inspired by one traditionally devoted solely to the humble potato, I invite you to try it with nothing other than the beloved spud if you like. Would be a shame not to diversify a little, though. If sunchokes aren’t available to you, or if they simply don’t strike your fancy at the moment, do consider combining the potatoes with any one of these worthy candidates: celeriac, rutabaga (aka swede), parsnip, yuca, and/or taro.

sunchoke and potato “boulangère”

serves 4-8, depending on portion sizes and accompaniment

INGREDIENTS