Side Dish to Celebrate the Sunchoke

The first time I had Chef Colin Bedford’s food, I watched him cook a dish as part of a cooking demonstration luncheon at Gourmet and Grapes on Kiawah Island, SC. Around 50 people watched as he built flavor for a smooth Celery Root and Apple Soup with Smoked Crab Salad, our stomachs beginning to growl as the room filled with delicious flavors and he told kitchen stories and shared cooking tips. I can say that I was not the only person that was hungry and getting hungrier.

I felt a collective sigh of appreciation from the room when we all tasted the first bite. It was worth the wait.

It’s the same with the sunchokes, an underused vegetable that is coming into season now. Worth the wait, this veggie is a little bit water chestnut, a little turnip, and a lot potato, but has an identity all its own. Allow the award-winning The Fearrington House Restaurant chef to teach you an ingenious way to get them on your table tonight.