Here’s a nifty little recipe from River Cottage that incorporates this week’s Jerusalem artichokes into a delicious goat’s cheese and hazelnut salad. These nutty, knobbly creatures roast up a treat and provide a smooth and subtle flavour. Give it a try!
Ingredients:
75g hazelnuts
600g Jerusalem artichokes
4 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
2 sprigs of thyme
1–2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon hazelnut oil
½ lemon
A couple of handfuls of winter salad leaves (optional)
75g hard goat’s cheese, crumbled or shaved into strips with a vegetable peeler, according to texture
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
First, toast the hazelnuts. Spread them out on a baking sheet in a single layer and place in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for about 5 minutes, until they are lightly coloured and the skins are blistered and cracked. Wrap them in a clean tea towel for a minute and then rub them vigorously with the towel until the skins fall off. Cool and chop very roughly or leave whole.
Turn the oven up to 190°C/Gas Mark 5 and put a large roasting tin into heat up.
Scrub the artichokes well and cut into halves or quarters lengthways, depending on size – you need chunks about 1.5cm thick. Put the artichokes in a bowl and turn over in 3 tablespoons of the rapeseed or olive oil with the thyme, bay and a little salt. Tip into the hot roasting tin and roast for about 35 minutes, until tender and lightly golden, taking the tray out after 15 minutes to turn the artichokes over. Allow to cool slightly.
Whisk the remaining tablespoon of oil with the hazelnut oil, trickle it over the warm artichokes, squeeze on a good spritz of lemon juice and season with salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Turn the artichokes over gently with your hands so that everything is well combined.
Add the hazelnuts, and the salad leaves if you’re using them, toss gently, then divide between serving plates. Scatter over the crumbled or shaved goat’s cheese and serve straight away.