Food Challenge – Jerusalem Artichokes Pan-Roasted with Winter Squash

Farmer Kim brought me my latest food challenge from his farm – Jerusalem Artichokes. He sent about 5 pounds home with Arielle. So we will be eating a few Jerusalem artichoke dishes over the next couple of weeks.

The first time I had Jerusalem artichokes was last year when Farmer Kim sent some over for me to test out. I mainly roasted them with other veggies; it was the winter of roasted vegetables in our house. This year I am prepared – I now have the book Roots by Diane Morgan, which has several recipes for Jerusalem artichokes that look tempting. One popped out – Pan-roasted Jerusalem Artichokes and Butternut Squash. It call for about 1 3/4 pounds of squash. Well, I have a 2 small squashes from my garden that total 1 3/4 pounds – a butternut and a kabocha. So I will use a combination of the two.

I apologize that there are not many pictures, I got so into cooking this, I forgot to stop and take pictures. 😦

Pan-Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes and Winter Squash

(very slightly adapted from Roots by Diane Morgan)

1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil

1 lb Jerusalem artichokes, cut into 1/2″ thick slices (from Farmer Kim)

1 3/4 lbs winter squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 2″ chunks (from the garden)

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1 leek, white and light green part only, thinly sliced

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1/8 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

Position rack in center of the oven and preheat to 375F.

In a large ovenproof saute pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the Jerusalem artichokes and squash and saute, stirring frequently, until the edges are golden brown, about 8 – 10 minutes.

Stir in the salt, transfer pan to the oven and roast the vegetables, uncovered, until fork-tender and caramelized, about 10 – 15 minutes.

Return the pan to the stove top over medium heat (REMEMBER – the pan handle is HOT!!). Add the leek, maple syrup, water, soy sauce and sesame oil and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens to a glaze, about 8 minutes.