Best way to cook sun chokes

I love sunchokes, and wrote a couple of blog posts about them: http://wp.me/p27pPl-hi and http://wp.me/p27pPl-hi

I had them for the first time boiled with a bit of butter when I was at the CIA ... they were so wonderful, even when prepared so simply.

I like to just saute them so they get crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. Clean and scrup them and trim/peel any especially tough parts (I leave most of the skin on) then slice into pieces about 1/4" thick. I heat a mix of butter and olive oil over medium high heat and then saute until browned and crispy all over, about 7-8 minutes. Then I finish with a good squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper.

this recipe is quite good:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetarian-recipes/sauted-jerusalem-artichokes-with-garlic

No need to drizzle them with lemon juice. They don't brown. We have them nightly in our salad. Just wash them and slice or julienne them. Skin on. Whatever you do, never let anyone tell you they need peeling. Totally unnecessary.Plus, majority of vegetable butrition is in the peel. Boiling them would be a shame because they caramelize(the sugars come to the fore, so to speak) so nicely when sauteed or roasted. To roast, cut them a bit if they are large (usually they're not) and toss them w/ little oil, salt and pepper. 350-400 degrees til skewer pierces them. I make a lovely soup witht hem sauteed, chicken stock added til they're soft, puree and add more chicken stock, orange zest and a little cream, s and p. YUM!

Also just fyi, they are native to north eastern North America.

Boiled then roasted. http://www.food52.com/recipes/14599_roasted_sunchokes_with_hazelnut_gremolata

I second the roasted and pureed, although 'm intrigued by Mollie's raw preparation and thinking that there are probably many things you might add to create a fresh, shaved salad.

They're great roasted, too!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Celery-Root-and-Potato-Puree-with-Roasted-Jerusalem-Artichoke-Croutons-361250
http://www.food52.com/recipes/10006_sunchoke_tart

You can also make them into a soup, with buttermilk. http://www.molliekatzen.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipe=sunchoke_soup

I like to serve them raw as a crudité - sliced very thin and drizzled with lemon juice. Crunch-eee!