Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes with Spinach and Herb Sauce

Roasted Jerusalem artichokes are the winter side dish that almost everyone walks straight past at the greengrocer with no idea what they are, and honestly that is a CRIME. Parboiled first and then roasted hard, they go deeply golden and crispy on the outside while staying soft, creamy and nutty in the middle. I have served them here on a vivid green spinach, tarragon and parmesan sauce, with dollops of sour cream and crispy fried capers scattered over the top. Let's cook!

Why These Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes Work

This is a winter side dish for four, ready in about an hour, built on one of the most underrated vegetables in the shop.

The technique that makes it work is the parboil. Ten minutes in salted water before roasting gives the artichokes a head start, so the outside caramelises into a proper crust while the inside goes creamy rather than tough.

What makes my version different is what goes around them. The sauce is blanched spinach blended with chickpeas, tarragon, parmesan and lemon zest, so it is earthy and bright and creamy all at once, and the fried capers on top give you the salty crunch that ties the whole plate together.

Jerusalem artichokes take me straight back to my very first job in London, working for Angela Hartnett at The Connaught. I had never seen one in my life when I walked into that kitchen, and that restaurant was awarded a Michelin star while I was working there. These knobbly little things will always remind me of it.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 to 45 minutes
• Total Time: 55 to 60 minutes
• Serves: 4 as a side dish
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Blender or NutriBullet, small frying pan for capers

One of the first things we made with Jerusalem artichokes at The Connaught was an amuse bouche of artichoke soup with truffle oil, and we also used to make an artichoke puree to go alongside a scallop dish. Both of those relied on the same thing this recipe does: cooking the artichoke through gently before you do anything else to it. Roasting them from raw gives you an outside that colours long before the middle is cooked, which is exactly the same reason I parboil potatoes before they go in the oven for the crunchiest roast potatoes ever. Boil them until just tender, drain them, and let them steam dry properly on the tray before they meet any oil. The drier the surface, the harder they crisp.

Ingredients

For the Jerusalem Artichokes:

• 800g Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and halved lengthways
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Spinach and Herb Sauce:

• 150g baby spinach
• 1/2 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 15g parmesan, finely grated
• 1 small bunch fresh tarragon, leaves picked (about 2 tablespoons)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons blanching water (reserved from the spinach)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve:

• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained and patted dry
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for frying the capers)
• Extra lemon zest (optional)

How to Make Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes

1. Parboil the artichokes: Place the halved Jerusalem artichokes in a pot of well-salted cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until just tender when pierced with a knife. You want them cooked through but not falling apart. Drain well and leave to steam dry for a few minutes.
2. Roast until golden: Preheat your oven to 200C (180C fan / 400F / Gas Mark 6). Toss the drained artichokes in the olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and spread cut-side down on a lined baking tray. Do not crowd them, but give them a little squash. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until deeply golden and crispy on the outside.
3. Blanch the spinach: While the artichokes are roasting, bring a small pot of salted water to the boil. Drop the spinach in and blanch for just 30 seconds until wilted, or if you are using frozen, until mostly defrosted. Scoop out with a slotted spoon into a colander, reserving a few tablespoons of the blanching water. Squeeze out as much excess water as you can from the spinach.
4. Make the sauce: Add the blanched spinach to a blender along with the drained chickpeas, parmesan, tarragon leaves and lemon zest. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved blanching water and the olive oil. Blend until smooth, adding a little more water if needed to get a spoonable, saucy consistency. Taste and season well with salt and pepper.
5. Fry the capers: Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over a high heat. Pat the capers completely dry with paper towels, as this matters or they will spit. Add to the hot oil and fry for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until they open up and go crispy. Tip onto a piece of paper towel to drain. Add the caper oil to your sauce. Waste not want not!
6. Plate and serve: Spread a generous spoonful of the spinach sauce across the base of your serving plate or plates. Arrange the roasted artichokes on top cut-side up, then add dollops of sour cream. Scatter the fried capers over the top and finish with a little extra parmesan if you like.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• An underrated winter veg gets its moment: Jerusalem artichokes are available all winter in NZ and most people have no idea how to use them. This recipe fixes that completely.
• That spinach sauce: Blanched spinach blended with tarragon, chickpeas, parmesan and lemon zest makes a sauce that is earthy, bright and a little bit creamy all at once. You will want to put it on everything.
• Fried capers are a game changer: Two minutes in a hot pan and they go crispy and intensely salty, which is the perfect contrast to the soft artichokes and creamy sour cream.
• Impressive but genuinely easy: This looks and tastes like a restaurant dish but comes together with simple techniques and affordable winter produce.
• Nothing gets wasted: The spinach blanching water goes into the sauce, the caper frying oil goes into the sauce, and the artichokes never need peeling.

Chef's Tips for Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes

Scrub, do not peel: Jerusalem artichoke skin is thin and full of flavour, so there is no need to peel them. Just give them a good scrub under cold water to get the dirt out of the knobbly bits.

Steam dry after boiling: Once you drain the artichokes, give them a few minutes to steam and dry out on the tray before tossing in oil. The drier they are, the crispier they roast. This is the single step people skip and it is the one that makes the difference.

Squeeze that spinach properly: If you do not squeeze enough water out of the blanched spinach the sauce will be watery and it will not hold its vibrant green colour. Really get in there and wring it out.

Capers must be bone dry before frying: Moisture plus hot oil equals dangerous spitting. Pat them very thoroughly with paper towels before they go anywhere near the pan.

Taste your sauce before it hits the plate: Parmesan varies a lot in saltiness, so always taste and adjust with salt, pepper and a little extra lemon juice before you serve.

Substitutions & Variations

• No tarragon? Fresh basil, flat-leaf parsley, or a mix of both work really well. Tarragon has a lovely anise note that is quite special here, but do not let it stop you.
• No parmesan? A hard pecorino or grana padano gives you the same savoury depth. For a fully plant-based version, use 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast instead.
• No sour cream? Creme fraiche, Greek yoghurt or labneh all work beautifully in its place.
• No capers? Finely chopped gherkins or a scattering of toasted pine nuts give you a similar salty, textural contrast.
• Want to make it a main? Serve it alongside lamb chops, a fried egg on top, or a whole roast chicken with nduja and tomatoes for a proper Sunday spread.

Storage

Best eaten fresh: The roasted artichokes and fried capers are at their best straight out of the oven while everything is crispy and hot. This is not a dish you want to leave sitting around.

Fridge: Store leftover artichokes and sauce separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Reheat the artichokes in a hot oven at 200C for 10 minutes to bring back some crispiness. The microwave will make them soggy.

Freezer: The spinach sauce freezes well for up to 2 months. Freeze in small portions and defrost in the fridge overnight. The roasted artichokes are not ideal for freezing as they go soft on defrosting.

Avoid: Do not dress the plate ahead of time. Once the sauce hits the artichokes and the sour cream is on, everything softens quickly, so plate up just before you are ready to eat.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do Jerusalem artichokes taste like? They have a nutty, earthy flavour, a bit like a cross between a potato and a water chestnut, with a slightly sweet edge. They are nothing like a globe artichoke despite the name, so do not let that put you off.

Do you need to parboil Jerusalem artichokes before roasting? Yes, genuinely. Roasting from raw gives you uneven results, because the outside browns long before the inside is cooked through. The parboil takes 10 minutes and makes an enormous difference to the final texture.

Why has my spinach sauce gone grey? Usually the spinach was not squeezed dry enough, it was cooked for too long, or the sauce sat around before serving. Heat also knocks the colour out of it. To keep it vibrant green, make it close to serving and press a piece of cling film directly onto the surface if you are making it ahead.

Can you double this Jerusalem artichoke recipe? Absolutely. Just make sure you roast the artichokes across two trays so they are not crowded. A crowded tray means they steam instead of roast and you lose the crispiness entirely.

Can you use tinned artichokes instead of Jerusalem artichokes? No, not for this recipe. Tinned artichokes are a completely different product, globe artichokes in brine, and they will not give you the same result. Jerusalem artichokes are a root vegetable and need to be bought fresh.

Where can you buy Jerusalem artichokes in NZ? They are a winter crop here, so look for them at farmers markets and good greengrocers from around June through August. If you cannot find them, this sauce and garnish are also wonderful with roasted celeriac or parsnips.

What do you serve with roasted Jerusalem artichokes? They are a brilliant side for roast lamb or chicken, and they hold their own next to a steak. For a vegetarian plate, serve them with crusty bread to mop up the sauce and a sharp green salad. They also work beautifully as a starter, plated small with extra capers.

Can you make the spinach sauce without a blender? You can, though the texture will be rougher. Chop the blanched spinach and tarragon as finely as you can, mash the chickpeas thoroughly with a fork or a potato masher, then beat everything together with the parmesan, lemon zest, oil and blanching water. A stick blender in a tall jug is the easiest alternative if you have one.

You Might Also Like

Roasted Carrots with Spiced Yoghurt and Honey Hazelnuts: Another stunning winter vegetable side dish that turns something simple into something seriously impressive.

Parsnip Rosti with Dill Yoghurt and Chilli Crunch: Golden, crispy and packed with flavour, another Weekly Veg favourite that is perfect for the colder months.

Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese Bake: Rich, comforting and absolutely made for winter, this is a crowd-pleasing side dish the whole table will love.

These roasted Jerusalem artichokes are everything I love about winter cooking, an underdog vegetable treated with a bit of care and turned into something genuinely special. The spinach and tarragon sauce is vibrant, savoury and creamy all at once, the sour cream adds richness, and those fried capers on top are the little crunchy salty hit that makes the whole dish sing. If you have never cooked Jerusalem artichokes before, this is the recipe that will convert you. Make it once and you will be hooked for the whole winter season.

Enjoy!

Del x

An underrated winter root roasted until golden and crispy, served on vivid green spinach sauce with crispy fried capers.