Pan Sauteed Jerusalem Artichokes with Balsamic and Butter

I dug up all of my jerusalem artichokes this weekend and was very happy to be digging in the dirt. Yay for garden produce! Since they are the first harvest of the year (excluding thyme and rosemary), I decided to make a "fancy recipe" to eat them for breakfast. This quickly became my fave way to eat jerusalem artichokes. They are crispy and browned on the outside and soft in the middle, and the tang of the balsamic is sweet with all the butter. And then some crispy rosemary?! Yum.

The recipe is from Bon Appetit, which was for double the amount that I list below. I ate about half of my recipe, which would be a larger portion for 2, or would serve 4 as a smaller side dish. *Note that jerusalem artichokes have a lot of inulin, which while highly sought after for microbial gut health, can cause some gastrointestinal discomfort (all your gut bacteria eating up the inulin) for some people. If you have never had them, it is a good idea to start with a smaller amount to see how you do. I ate all of these up with minor discomfort. I always wonder how different cooking methods affect the inulin; some places say that boiling for 15 mins removes much of it, which could be true because last spring I pureed some after boiling them, and noticed no affects at all?!

Other than amounts, I didn't change anything about the recipe. The balsamic I used was from a small jar of stuff I was gifted that was a lemon balsamic, so it was not dark like a usual balsamic vinegar.

 

Jerusalem Artichokes with Balsamic and Butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound small Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), scrubbed, quartered

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 sprigs rosemary

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

1. Heat oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron (you’ll need a lid), over medium-high heat. Add Jerusalem artichokes and ¼ cup water and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until Jerusalem artichokes are fork-tender, 8–10 minutes.

2. Uncover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until water is evaporated and Jerusalem artichokes begin to brown and crisp, 8–10 minutes longer; transfer to a platter.

3. Add rosemary and butter to skillet and cook, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns, about 4 minutes.

4. Remove skillet from heat and stir in vinegar, scraping up any browned bits. Spoon brown butter sauce and rosemary over Jerusalem artichokes.

Melting the butter with the rosemary