Salad of blue cheese, sprouts and artichokes

Mark Diacono
·2-min read
Sprouts
This salad recipe yields four portions - Mark Diacono

With their deep, savoury, earthy flavour, Jerusalem artichokes are one of my favourite cold-weather vegetables. While not crisping like a potato when roasted, they kind of collapse just enough to take on any adjacent flavours; they also soften when simmered into an earthy, sweet purée that was made for this combination of brassica bitterness and the hint of sourness from the blue cheese. A proper treat.

Overview

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Serves

4

Ingredients

  • 350g Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed clean, peeled and diced (reserve the peels)

  • 150ml milk

  • A few sprigs of thyme, plus 2 tsp thyme leaves

  • 4 tbsp olive oil, plus a little more for frying

  • 1 tsp harissa

  • 400g Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced

  • ½ tbsp fennel seeds

  • Big handful of sprout tops (optional)

  • 100g blue cheese, chopped into small pieces

  • 50g lightly toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

  • Juice of ½ lemon

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4

Step 2

Put 350g peeled Jerusalem artichokes in a saucepan with 150ml milk and 150ml water, a few thyme sprigs and a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes until the artichokes are tender. Drain and use a stick blender to blend the artichokes to a smooth purée, using a bit of the cooking liquid if required.

Step 3

Meanwhile, brush the artichoke skins with a little olive oil and cook on a tray in the oven until crisp, about 7–10 minutes. Alternatively, heat a small frying pan with a generous glug of oil and fry the skins for 5 minutes until they turn brown and crisp, draining on kitchen paper. Season with a pinch of salt.

Step 4

Combine 1 tbsp olive oil with 1 tsp harissa in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 5

Fry 400g Brussels sprouts in 3tbsp olive oil over a high heat, with a pinch of salt and ½ tbsp fennel seeds, for 5 minutes until the sprouts are softened and beginning to colour – do this in batches if required. If using sprout tops, quickly sauté in a little oil until slightly wilted and season.

Step 6

Spread the sprouts (and tops) over a platter, spoon over the artichoke purée, then dot with 100g chopped blue cheese and 50g lightly toasted chopped walnuts. Finish by scattering over the artichoke skins and 2 tsp thyme leaves. Drizzle with the harissa oil, then squeeze over the juice of ½ lemon.

Recipe from Vegetables by Mark Diacono (Quadrille, £27)

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