Grilled Jerusalem Artichokes With Tahini Yoghurt

I like the way gnarled, knobbly Jerusalem artichokes cook over the heat of a fire, because thanks to their shape and irregular size, there will always be some areas of the vegetable that are more cooked than others. You can actually eat Jerusalem artichokes completely raw so, for me, any point between that and meltingly soft works! Tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds, is the main player in the rather delicious dressing I use for this warm salad. Tahini has a real affinity with the earthy, woody-tasting Jerusalem artichokes.

Serves 4

Ingredients

- 1kg Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed
- Olive oil, to drizzle
- A handful of ‘hard’ herbs, such as rosemary, sage and thyme
- 100ml natural yoghurt
- 50g light tahini
- ½ garlic clove, peeled and grated
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 handfuls of mixed salad leaves
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Prepare your fire. You want a moderately hot bed of glowing embers.

Set a large grill over the fire; it’s at the right temperature when you can hover your hand above it for no more than 3 seconds.

Drizzle the Jerusalem artichokes with a little olive oil then place them on the grill. Sprinkle over a little sea salt and the herbs. Cook for about 35–40 minutes, turning the artichokes regularly. It’s nice to have a mixture of small, tender artichokes and big crunchy ones.

Meanwhile, put the yoghurt into a small bowl and stir in the tahini. Add a drizzle of olive oil, the garlic and the lemon juice. Mix together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once the Jerusalem artichokes are cooked to your liking, slice them thickly. Lay the salad leaves out over a big sharing platter. Add the artichokes and drizzle over the tahini yoghurt dressing. Finish with a final drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and some more black pepper and sea salt if you feel the artichokes need it.