Sunchokes (otherwise known as Jerusalem Artichokes) are such an interesting vegetable.  I would eat them at restaurants, but it was only within the last year that I starting cooking with them – when one week they showed up in my CSA basket.  I searched the internet for recipes, and I hardly found any.  I could make a sunchoke soup – but I wasn’t interested.  Instead, I decided to make a gratin.  I made one that was just too heavy – so the next time I tried it my own way.  It was delicious – the sunchokes add such a subtle flavor to the dish, but it is perfect with the potatoes.  The best part of this dish though is the shallots on top, along with the fontina cheese.  I have made this dish a few times, and each time I do things just a little differently.  In the recipe below, I use 1% milk – although it is also very good made with chicken broth.  If you happen to see sunchokes in the market, don’t be afraid – try this recipe and you will be a big fan!

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove
• 10 sunchokes (about golf-ball sized), sliced thin
• 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
• 2 shallots, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup 1% milk
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9×9 ceramic dish with cooking spray.  Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the cut sides onto the dish.  Discard garlic.

Layer the potatoes evenly in the dish covering the entire bottom.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Layer the sunchokes evenly covering the potatoes.  Sprinkle the sliced shallots on top of the sunchokes – and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.  Pour milk all over the vegetables.  Sprinkle with the fontina cheese.

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for about 45 minutes.  Take the cover off and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Make sure the sunchokes are soft – if not cook a little longer.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Sunchoke and Potato Gratin