Sous Vide Sunchokes with Toasted Marcona Almonds

With their tan jackets and knobby appendages, sunchokes look like the love child of potatoes and ginger. With that said, there is no mistaking their beguiling sweet, nutty flavor. You can enjoy sunchokes in a variety of ways, though this is one of my favorite recipes. If you’ve had smashed potatoes, you no doubt love their rustic appeal and addictive crisp edges. With sunchokes, you get that same result but with a lot more flavor. Cooking sunchokes with a precision cooker intensifies their sweetness. After roasting, they are showered with Marcona almonds. Those Spanish specialty nuts boast a soft crunch and lovely richness that really compliment these tubers. Serve alongside any roasted or grilled meat or poultry dish – and you may never crave potatoes again.

Author

Carolyn Jung

Carolyn Jung is a James Beard Award-winning Bay Area food journalist, whose work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Coastal Living, Via magazine, Food Arts, Edible Silicon Valley, Wine Spectator and other publications. She is the former staff food writer for the San Jose Mercury News. Her debut cookbook "San Francisco Chef's Table'' published in December 2013. She is also the creator of the acclaimed blog, FoodGal.com.

Prep Time: 00:40

Recipe Time: 01:00

Temperature : 194F / 90C

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds sunchokes, scrubbed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped Marcona almonds
• Minced fresh chives

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 194ºF (90ºC).
2. Place the sunchokes in a large zipper lock or vacuum seal bag and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the moist setting.
3. Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 1 hour.
4. About 10 minutes before the timer goes off, heat the oven to 450ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Brush baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the sunchokes from the bag and pat dry. Let cool.
2. When sunchokes are cool enough to handle, smash each one with the heel of your hand until they are about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Place sunchokes on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Roast sunchokes, flipping halfway through, until the edges are golden and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle almonds over the top of the sunchokes and continue to roast until nuts are golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Transfer sunchokes to a serving plate and garnish with chives. Serve.