Roast Jerusalem artichokes with cream and cider
Like any dish featuring Jerusalem artichokes, this is a bit of a labour of love as they are arduous to peel, but it is totally worth it I promise! The crunchy breadcrumbs go some way to soaking up the lovely sauce, but have extra bread on the side to mop the juices if you’re having this for lunch. If you have any leftovers, break down the artichokes with a fork and this becomes an excellent pasta sauce.
Servings 2
Ingredients
1kg Jerusalem artichokes
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
300ml double cream
200ml medium-dry cider
4 sprigs of thyme
A bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
A small handful of coarse breadcrumbs
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/Gas 7.
Peel the Jerusalem artichokes and cut larger tubers into short lengths; leave small tubers whole. Tip them into a medium cast-iron frying pan or small roasting tray, trickle over the extra virgin olive oil and toss the artichokes to coat. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.
Take out the pan (protecting your hand with an oven glove). Add the cream, cider and herbs, stir to combine and return to the oven. Cook for a further 10–15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened to the consistency of double cream, checking and stirring every 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, scatter over the breadcrumbs and return to the oven for 5–10 minutes until the crumbs are nice and crunchy. Serve straight away, from the pan.
Serving suggestions
Swap:
For a slightly less rich version, leave out the cream. Instead, add a ladleful of chicken stock and a knob of butter to the pan and allow the liquid to cook down to a glaze