Jerusalem artichoke rösti

Last year we grew Jerusalem artichokes for the first time, down at the allotment. They were a resounding success, reaching over 10 feet in height and producing lots of delicious tubers.

Jerusalem artichokes can be kept over winter in the ground, and dug as required. It’s now that time of the year when all the remaining Jerusalem artichoke tubers need to be dug up, as they’re starting to sprout and grow.

If you’ve never had Jerusalem artichokes, I can best describe them as tasting like a sunflower-flavoured potato. In other words, yum! They can be eaten raw; or boiled, roasted or made into soup. We’ve mainly been having them roasted, but with the coming glut, I wanted to find more creative ways of using them.

I also wanted to find some ways of preparing them so they could be frozen and used over the coming few months. (Unlike potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes don’t store very well after they’re dug.)

First up: Jerusalem artichoke rösti. I started with this recipe for potato rösti, but used half potato and half Jerusalem artichoke. I omitted the thyme, and didn’t pre-fry the onion nor add fat to the rösti before shaping into patties and frying. I liked the idea of using a cookie cutter to shape the rösti (especially after I saw the price of rösti rings… over £6 for two!). And finishing them off in the oven ensured that they were cooked all the way through.

I made these to have with an evening meal last week, and we had them again with scrambled tofu for breakfast on the weekend. The remaining ones were frozen, so we’ll see how successful that was.

Both the Jerusalem artichoke and the potato I used were homegrown, so these rösti score very well on the food miles scale. The potatoes were “Cara”, which is a maincrop variety suited for baking, roasting etc. I’m not sure if a waxy new potato would work in this recipe.

Verdict: the addition of Jerusalem artichoke takes these rösti to a new level. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, with the delicious flavour of Jerusalem artichoke complimenting the potato perfectly. Simply scrumptious!

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JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE RÖSTI

Course Breakfast, Side Dish

Yield 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound (450g) Jerusalem artichokes
• 1 pound (450g) potatoes
• 1 medium (90g) onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
• olive oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Scrub the Jerusalem artichokes and the potatoes well, but do not peel them.
2. Steam the artichokes for 15 minutes over simmering water, and the potatoes for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mince the onion.
4. When the artichokes and potatoes are finished steaming, remove them to a plate to cool.
5. When they have cooled, peel the artichokes and potatoes. Grate them into a big mixing bowl with a large grater. Add the minced onion, plus salt and pepper. Mix well.
6. Using a large cookie cutter (see photo here) or rösti rings, shape the mixture into patties, pressing firmly.
7. Fry the rösti in batches until golden, then gently turn and fry the other side. Remove to a baking tray.
8. Bake at 180C until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.