FRIED SUNCHOKES

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Though they may look like knobby potatoes, sunchokes do not contain any starch. Instead, these rhizomes are rich in inulin, a soluble fiber that is mostly indigestible. Inulin is also what gives sunchokes their earthy, sweet flavor. Since—like potatoes—sunchokes fry up really well, we wanted to achieve super-crispy sunchokes with a creamy, tender interior. Initially we tried oven-roasting the sunchokes until they were soft and finishing them in a hotter oven. Unfortunately, they turned leathery and burnt, because we weren’t driving off enough moisture quickly enough to get those desirable crispy edges. So we turned to deep frying: First we fried the sunchokes whole to get rid of some moisture and cook the interiors, and then we increased the temperature to crisp them up. These sunchokes were much crisper and had a deep golden-brown color. But our tasters wanted an even higher ratio of crispy edges to creamy interior, so we took a page out of our potato playbook and smashed them after the initial frying. This vastly increased the number of crags, edges, nooks, and crannies in each sunchoke, and resulted in ultracrispy, crunchy fried sunchokes. These bites are great on their own with a squeeze of lemon, but we like to jazz them up with Old Bay or even a spicy chili oil once they’re out of the fryer. Use a Dutch oven that holds 6 quarts or more for this recipe.

SERVES: 4 to 6

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 pounds sunchokes, unpeeled
• Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. HEAT OIL: Add oil to a large Dutch oven until it measures 1½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 250 degrees.
2. COOK SUNCHOKES: Carefully add sunchokes to oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and knife slips easily in and out of flesh, 30 to 35 minutes.
3. COOL AND FLATTEN SUNCHOKES: Using wire skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer sunchokes to rimmed baking sheet and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Space sunchokes evenly over sheet and place second baking sheet on top. Press down firmly on top sheet until sunchokes are flattened to ½-inch thickness.
4. HEAT OIL AGAIN: Meanwhile, heat oil to 375 degrees.
5. PREPARE RACK: Set wire rack in top sheet and line with triple layer of paper towels.
6. FRY SUNCHOKES: Carefully return sunchokes to oil and fry, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Adjust burner, if necessary, to maintain oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees.
7. SEASON AND SERVE: Transfer sunchokes to prepared rack and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.