Caramelized Sunchoke Puree

Try this silky-smooth sunchoke puree as an alternative to traditional potatoes for dinner. Caramelized sunchokes, onions, and garlic are pureed with milk and butter to create a luscious, nutty winter side dish.

One of my favorite things about learning how to cook sunchokes is enjoying recipes like this simple but delicious caramelized sunchoke puree. It’s silky smooth and full of nutty flavor enhanced by onion and garlic, and it goes great with winter mains like pomegranate chicken and bourbon-glazed salmon.

Just think of your favorite classic mashed potatoes and then imagine a silkier, toasted version, and you have sunchoke or Jerusalem artichoke mash. They’re easy to work with, are a unique addition to your winter vegetable options, and are just downright delicious when mashed.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Jerusalem artichokes don’t get gluey or sticky when blended, which makes pureeing them very easy and quick.
• First caramelizing sunchokes with onions and garlic creates an irresistible roasted, sweet flavor in the puree.
• Sunchokes are in season from mid-fall through late winter, making this recipe perfect for cold-weather meals.

Ingredients

Many larger grocery stores carry all the ingredients for this recipe year-round. However, if you can find fresh sunchokes at your farmers market in the winter, you’ll be treated to their sweetest, best flavor.

• Sunchokes – Always look for firm, unblemished artichokes. Since this recipe requires peeling, look for ones with fewer knobby parts to make peeling easier.
• Butter – Choose unsalted butter so you can control the seasoning.
• Garlic
• Onion
• Water
• Milk – Non-dairy milk is always an option, but realize the flavor of the puree can change with some dairy-free alternatives.
• Salt

Instructions

You’ll need a large pot and a way to puree the ingredients to get started. You can use an upright blender, stick blender, or a food processor.

Begin by melting the butter in the pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped and peeled sunchokes, garlic, and onion. Let them cook, stirring occasionally, until the sunchokes have lightly browned, around 8 minutes.

Next, add in the water. Bring it to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Almost all of the water should evaporate.

Stir in the milk and simmer for another 10 minutes. The sunchokes should be very soft.

Then, puree until smooth. Take a moment to wipe out the pot or get a clean one, then pour the sunchoke mash back into it. If you’d like a very smooth texture, place a fine mesh strainer over the pot and pour the puree through it.

Finally, taste and season with salt as needed. Keep warm until serving.

Serving and Storage

This puree is delicious all by itself; no gravy is needed. But feel free to serve it with saucy mains like apricot-glazed chicken thighs.

Once cooked, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. It reheats beautifully on the stove over low heat.

However you decide to serve it, a silky caramelized Jerusalem artichoke puree will be a hit, and it may even become a regular winter recipe. Don’t forget to check out the other creative mashes on the site while you’re here!

• Lemon and Thyme White Bean Mash
• Purple Mashed Potatoes
• Yuca Mash with Garlic and Thyme