Ingredients

• 200g Jerusalem artichokes (Sunchokes)
• 120ml double cream
• 100ml milk
• 80g Chorizo sausage, cubed
• 1 banana shallot, finely sliced
• 30g Parmesan cheese, grated

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Fry the chorizo and shallot in a splash of olive oil and set aside.
3. Peel the artichokes and cut into 4mm slices.
4. Mix the cream and the milk together in a small pan.
5. Add the artichokes, bring to the boil, and then simmer for 8 minutes.
6. Add the chorizo and shallot and season with salt and pepper.
7. Tip the mixture into a 16cm dish and top with the parmesan.
8. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
9. Allow the gratin to cool slightly and serve with a green salad or simply just a spoon.

The backstory

What to do with a fresh delivery of Jerusalem artichokes? The most humble of ingredients, they’re incredibly easy to grow yet appear to be underutilised in the UK. The knobbly little tubers are frequently relegated to soup-status, but this recipe showcases how remarkable and comforting they can be. I know when a dish is truly transformative, because my wife asks if we can eat it again the following day. And for someone with no interest whatsoever in Jerusalem artichokes, I take that as the highest praise going.

Now, the Jerusalem artichoke which is also known as a sunchoke, isn’t actually an artichoke at all, nor does it have any connection to Jerusalem. I love this fact. It was all lost in translation. The name “Jerusalem” is a corruption of the Italian word “girasole,” which means “sunflower“. The humble Jerusalem artichoke is actually a species of sunflower native to North America, and the tuber of the plant was used as a food source by Native Americans. Early European settlers in North America mistakenly thought the tuber was a type of artichoke, hence the name “Jerusalem artichoke”.