Roast Jerusalem artichokes with mushrooms and baked garlic cream recipe

This is very good with roast chicken; there’s the sweetness of Jerusalem artichokes against the woodiness of mushrooms, and it’s great in autumnal or wintry weather.

Jerusalem artichokes also make a brilliant purée that you can serve with fried mushrooms on top (very good with steak, I find).

Don’t serve the garlic cream straight from the fridge if you make it in advance – it will be firm and cold and not enhance the vegetables at all. Let it sit on the kitchen counter for a while before serving it.

Timings

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves

Six

Ingredients

• 1 large head of garlic

• 6 tbsp olive oil

• 700g Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed clean

• leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary

• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

• 175g crème fraîche

• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives

• 1-2 tbsp milk

• 650g mixed mushrooms (oyster, shiitake and baby chestnut)

• 10g unsalted butter

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/190C fan/gas mark 6.

2. Remove the papery skin from the outside of the garlic head but don’t separate or peel the cloves. Slice off the top of it (about 1cm) and set it on a square of foil. Bring up the sides to make a parcel, add a tablespoon of water around the garlic and spoon a tablespoon of the oil over the top of the cloves, then scrunch the foil to seal at the top, leaving space around the head. Set in a small roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes, or until the cloves are completely soft.

3. Meanwhile, halve the larger artichokes, leave the smaller ones whole, and tumble them into a roasting tin where they can lie in a single layer. Add the rosemary, three tablespoons of olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper. Toss everything around so the artichokes get coated. Add to the oven and roast for 30 minutes, or until completely tender. Turn them over halfway through.

4. To make the garlic crème fraîche, squeeze the soft garlic flesh from the head and bash it in a mortar until well crushed (or use a bowl and a fork).

5. Stir the crème fraîche in a bowl to loosen it, then add the crushed garlic and chopped herbs. To make it a little looser stir in the milk. It should fall easily from your spoon. Add salt to taste – go easy with it.

6. Halve the baby chestnut mushrooms if large, and tear any of the shiitake or oyster mushrooms that are a bit large too. Heat the rest of the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the mushrooms briskly, turning them over to get a good colour.

7. Season and turn the heat up – mushrooms exude a lot of moisture and you want this to evaporate. When the mixture is drier, add the butter – it’s fantastic for the flavour.

8. Toss the mushrooms and artichokes together in a warm serving bowl. Serve with the garlic cream.