Jerusalem Artichoke Pancakes

Delicious with sour cream or warm applesauce, these flavorful pancakes are good partners for sausage or pork chops. Add a green salad and you have a hearty family supper.

• Ready In: 28 mins
• Yields: 6-8 pancakes

Ingredients

• 1  lb  jerusalem artichoke (sunroot or sunchoke)
•  cold water
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice or 1  tablespoon vinegar
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 cup  minced shallot
• 2  eggs
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped fresh parsley
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 cup  vegetable oil (approx)
•  sour cream or  applesauce

Directions

1. Peel artichokes and place in bowl of water mixed with lemon juice as you work.
2. In large skillet, melt butter and cook shallots over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until softened but not browned.
3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat eggs and stir in parsley, salt and pepper. Stir in shallots.
4. Using fine grater or grating attachment of food processor, grate artichokes; immediately stir into egg mixture. (If grating by hand, grate artichokes back into bowl of acidulated water so they will not darken. Drain well in sieve, then dry well by squeezing in tea towel.).
5. In skillet, heat half the oil. For each pancake, spoon about 2 tablespoons of batter into skillet, leaving at least 1 inch between pancakes. Flatten with spatula and cook over medium heat until golden and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Place on hot platter and keep warm in 250°F oven. Add more oil to skillet as necessary when cooking remaining pancakes. Serve with sour cream. Makes 6 to 8 pancakes.
6. Canadian Living Everyday Cookbook.
7. NOTE: Jerusalem artichokes are tubers and have a potato-like texture often recommended as a potato substitute for diabetics. Just as with potatoes, they can be baked, boiled, steamed, fried, and stewed. However, they will cook faster than potatoes and can easily be turned to mush in a matter of minutes if you do not monitor them closely. Keep your eye on them and remove them from the heat source as soon as you can easily pierce them with a skewer.
8. They are recommended as a potato substitute for diabetics since they are filling but not absorbed by the body, and because they also show indications of assisting in blood sugar control. High in iron, potassium and thiamine, low-fat sunchokes also feed the healthy bacteria (lactobacilli) in the intestinal tract.