Smashed Sunchokes With Thyme-Butter
Recipe and image from www.seriouseats.com
The Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) sunchokes, rinsed and trimmed of any dark spots
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (20ml) canola or other neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce; 30g) unsalted butter
- Large pinch freshly picked thyme leaves
- Flaky salt for serving
PREPARATION
- In a medium saucepan, cover sunchokes with 1 inch cold water. Season generously with salt (the water should taste nicely salted, as if you were seasoning soup). Set over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until paring knife inserted into a sunchoke meets little resistance, about 10 minutes; be careful not to overcook.
- Drain sunchokes using fine-mesh strainer or colander. When cool enough to handle, place sunchokes on the work surface or cutting board. Working 1 sunchoke at a time, use the bottom of a heavy skillet to press firmly on each sunchoke until it is flattened but not still in one piece; take care not to press so hard that the sunchokes break apart.
- In a large cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add sunchokes in a single layer and cook without moving until well browned, about 3 minutes. Flip sunchokes, then add butter to the pan and allow to melt. Add half of thyme to the melted butter and continue to cook, spooning butter over sunchokes, until browned on the second side, about 3 minutes longer.
- Transfer sunchokes to a serving plate and spoon the thyme butter on top. Garnish with remaining freshly picked thyme leaves and sprinkle with flaky salt. Serve immediately.
This locally inspired recipe is brought to you by Pam Walker. Pam is an avid home cook, writer, and local farm and food activist who is also a board member of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute. Thank you, Pam, for helping inspire us to use locally sourced ingredients!