Ugly little vegetables aren’t they? Neither artichokes, nor do they come from Jerusalem. Not quite as familiar as potatoes or parsnips but not trendy enough for hipsters to cherish, like sweet potatoes or yams. Impossible to peel neatly, they fall to bits when parboiled and stay tough if roasted whole from raw.
And they give you wind.
I think if they were more commonly known by one of their other names: earth apple, topinambur (that’s fittingly exotic, no?) or sunroot; if the fact that they are actually roots of a species of sunflower was better publicised; if people knew that you can make Jerusalem artichoke brandy – the poor ugly brute’s ratings would go considerably up.
I like the flavour and the taste – nutty, firmer and sweeter than spuds and not quite as starchy. This is a good suggestion to persuade anyone to try them more often: a gratin. You know – gratin anything and it will taste wonderful. But justice to the tubers – this tastes better than a parsnip gratin and not as carb-rich as potatoes dauphinoise.