Looking at a sunchoke, you may ask yourself, “is this ginger or an odd type of potato?” You may be surprised to find out it is neither, it’s actually a unique root vegetable that comes from a particular species of sunflower. They are a great substitute for potatoes especially for diabetics because they contain only one carbohydrate, called inulin. Inulin is a diabetic-friendly carbohydrate and is often found as an additive in processed foods. Sunchokes can beused in a variety of ways, but my favorite is as a substitute for roasted potatoes. They have a slight nutty taste and have a softer more gel-like center than potatoes. I added my go-to spices when cooking roasted potatoes but feel free to tweak the recipe to reflect your preferences.
Ingredients
- 5-6 medium sized sunchokes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or any other preferred oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
Directions
- Set the oven for 400 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash the sunchokes, making sure to scrub off the dirt.
- Chop them into finger sized or bite sized pieces as you would a potato.
- Place a pot filled with water on the stove top and bring to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, place the sunchokes in the water carefully and boil for 4 minutes.
- Drain the sunchokes and pat dry with a paper towel taking care not to burn yourself.
- Place the sunchokes in a bowl mixing in the salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic. Then add the olive oil and mix again.
- Spread the sunchokes in an even layer across the baking sheet and place in the oven for 40 minutes or until desired crispness.
- Enjoy!