Jerusalem artichoke and potato gratin

I may have mentioned previously, when I made a fantastic rustic creamy Jerusalem artichoke soup., about my deep affection for Jerusalem artichokes (also known as sunchokes or topinambours. In fact, pretty much the only thing to my mind that compensates me for the seasonal disappearance of broad beans is the appearance of Jerusalem artichokes!

Last weekend I had a few people round to lunch and needed a satisfying, creamy starch dish.  Yes, I could have made plain old potato bake, but I had three Jerusalem artichokes on the fridge that I wanted to use.  And then I saw this post from Anne’s Food and just like that, the decision was made.

The two work wonderfully well together.  The Jerusalem artichoke on its own as a bake might be a little too strident, but together with the potato it creates a happy balance between bland and appealingly earthy – and of course, the cream and the melty cheese just make the whole dish that much more indulgent :-).  Be aware though that Jerusalem artichokes require long and thorough cooking – failure to do so may result in… shall we say… windy conditions!

Thanks for the recipe inspiration Anne!

Other bloggers cooking with Jerusalem artichokes include:

• Michelle’s Jerusalem artichoke soup
• Ronell made Jerusalam artichoke velouté
• Marie made Jerusalem artichoke & parsnip gratin

JERUSALEM ARTICHIKE & POTATO GRATIN (serves 6)

Ingredients:

3 medium Jerusalem artichokes
4 medium waxy potatoes
1 medium onion, sliced
single cream
salt and pepper
grated Cheddar

Method:

Butter a shallow oven-proof dish and pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Peel the Jerusalem artichokes and scrub the potatoes well (no need to peel).  Slice the artichokes chokes and the potatoes into thin 2mm slices.

Cover the base of the buttered dish with a single layer of potatoes.  Scatter some sliced onions over it, pour some cream over and season with salt and pepper.  Cover this layer with a layer of Jerusalem artichoke slices, onion and cream as described above.  Repeat, alternating layers, and finishing with a layer of potato.

Place in the pre-heated overn, uncovered, for about an hour or until soft.  Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and pop under the grill so that it melts.

And then tuck into a dish of pure comfort!