Have you ever heard of a sunchoke? Or a Jerusalem Artichoke? (which, by the way, is neither from Jerusalem nor is an artichoke) The sunchoke is the root of a species of sunflower plant that is native to eastern U.S. (like Massachusetts!!)
They look like tiny potatoes, or, if they are knobby, they might resemble ginger root. If you cut one open and eat it raw, it is white, crunchy, and a little sweet – sort of like a cross between a potato and a jicama. Any flavor that it might have is quite subtle when raw. Oh, but when these are baked into chips, they have a beautiful, slightly sweet, slightly nutty and earthy flavor that is oh-so-addictive.
Why This is Such a Good “Low Carb” Snack
One interesting note about this root. Unlike most roots, sunchokes do not store starch as their main carbohydrate. Instead, they store inulin, a carbohydrate that is a polymer consisting of fructose units instead of glucose units (in the case of starch). The benefit of inulin is that it does not impact the body’s blood sugar level, which is great for those on a low “carb” diet. Inulin is also associated with many other health benefits, such as increasing the absorption of calcium and promoting the growth of intestinal bacteria.
Because inulin cannot be broken down by our starch-busting enzymes, amylase and ptaylin, it actually passes through the digestive system relatively untouched until it reaches the colon, where bacteria break it down (similar to what happens to lactose intolerant people when they drink milk). People vary in how well they can tolerate and digest inulin. If you do try this vegetable, try in small doses at first! Otherwise you might be in for a rather, ahem, uncomfortable evening.
Do try, though. It’s totally worth it if you can take it. I tried just a few chips the first night, and then a whole batch the second night and had absolutely no problems. Same with Bryan. It’s a great snack and is so much healthier (from a starch standpoint) than potato chips, yet they taste just as good, if not better!
Sunchoke Chips
Wash and scrub sunchokes so that they are free of any dirt. Thinly slice up sunchokes into 1mm thick slices. Try to make them uniform in width, as that will aid in even browning. Toss with a small amount of olive oil (about 1 tsp for an entire mini toaster oven tray) and lay them in a single layer in the tray. Add salt (I just did a few “shakes” of a salt shaker) and bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until it starts to dry out and look golden brown. I did this in the toaster oven, and it worked great. I also tried it in the convection oven. It took a little longer (like 25 minutes!),but still turned out fine.
Just keep an eye on it because it’s easy to burn. Every oven is different, so you’ll have to play around with your oven to get the right time.
Remove, let cool, and enjoy!
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Will definitely try this out! (at first in small doses) Can’t wait to see you – have a safe flight!
They sound delicious. Where can one get these in Boston? I’ve never seen them before.
Get one, plant it and at the end of summer you will have a hundred! I planted 10 tubers and each plant yielded 50 or more “potatoes!” The chips are very addicting!
Cool!
cyli – I got mine at Whole Foods, but I think I saw them at Harvest Coop as well. As they are local to the area, I’m sure we’ll see them at the Farmer’s Markets soon enough.
Well you learn something new every day. For years now when I heard the word “sunchoke” I thought it was something totally different. My world will never be the same . I will be on the lookout for some at the farmers market!
I have seen all the Top Chef chefs make sunchoke puree all the time, but had NO idea what it actually was! I never would have guessed!
Man – I gotta learn this stuff! These look great! I need to find Whole Foods too!
Great post – informative and they look like delicious snacks!
If you like sunchokes, & have a little space in your yard, they are pretty and too easy to grow (as in put them somewhere they can stay because they WILL be back next year!). Just plant pieces of the ones you buy, much like planting potatoes. Harvest after frost. They are sunflowers, so they get very tall & get smallish (4-6″) yellow blossoms. Good against the back fence.
Thanks for enlightening me! I have never cooked with this vegetable, much less eaten it as a chip and now I am very tempted to try to do both!
I adore sunchokes, especially when they have been grilled. This looks like a great recipe to try.
I saw these at the supermarket but didn’t know what to do with it. Now I know. I have to go and look for them. I hope I can find some to make these chips. Thanks for sharing.
Never seen anything like these! I’ll look out for some sunchokes.
great vegetable/fruit posts Jen! I’ve never had a Jerusalem Artichoke either. I’m curious to try and plant these in my garden 😉
You won’t find them at the markets unless they’re old. The harvest is from Jan – March, and they only stay fresh for 1-3 weeks in the fridge once harvested.
Great veggie for any winter markets in your area though! I grow them and I harvested about 300lbs this year. Just got done putting up about 1/3 of that as marinated chokes and a killer relish! This I will be selling at the market this year. Relish is a great way to start getting used to these yummy tubers!
Shannon
Doesn’t anybody sell them? Already made into chips, I mean. Henry’s? Trader Joe’s? Albertson’s?
Please find a company that will make chips! You can sell them at farmer’s markets or in the grocery store. Let me know where I can get them.
Nice blog comment helianthus tuberosus I like helianthus tuberosus this is hallty is the valuable herb which for long
time has won popularity in national medicine.chicory extract was also often prescribed by herbalists of recent
centuries to cure a whole host of ailments; the herbalist of the middle ages often recommended herbal remedies made
from the helianthus tuberosus as tonics, as laxatives, and as diuretics.
http://www.adeptimpex.com/jerusalem_artichoke_india.php
Fantastic! I shared your recipe on an article about how to grow Jerusalem Artichokes. http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-grow-jerusalem-artichokes-sunchokes
Yummy! Grew Jerusalem artichokes for the first time ever and just harvested them three days ago. This is the first recipe we have tried, and it came out delicious! Did one batch according to recipe and did next batch with some garlic powder, black pepper, and Parmesan cheese along with the salt. All tasty, surprising, and healthy!
Love Jerusalem artichokes and this recipe suits me because I’ve put on some kilos since Christmas and I can eat snacks even if I go on a slimming diet, brilliant!
I just planted mine. Got them from a company affiliated with Amazon, of all places to find tubers! I planted half in my people garden and half down by the creek where the pig will love to root for them. I am so glad that you cleared up the starchiness question. Most sites that discuss this veggie claim that it is a starch, just like a potato. This is an important detail for those of us trying to stay low carb. I will caution though that sunchokes have about as many calories as a potato.