Sunchoke Hummus

The earthy, nutty quality of Jerusalem artichokes works beautifully with tahini and lemon in this appetizer. At Elaine Murphy's The Woollen Mills in Dublin, chef Ian Connolly serves it drizzled with aromatic paprika oil and pile of hot crisp baked sweet potato wedges for dipping.

2 lb sunchokes, scrubbed clean
1½ tsp. whole coriander seeds
1½ tsp. whole fennel seeds
2 tsp. ground sweet paprika
½ tsp. crushed red chile flakes
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
⅓ cup tahini
¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 Tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

To Serve:
roasted sweet potato wedges or pita wedges

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

Spread the sunchokes on a rimmed baking sheet and tightly cover the sheet with foil. Bake until the sunchokes are very soft, about 45 minutes. Transfer the sheet to a rack and let the sunchokes cool. Uncover and peel them, discarding the peels.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the coriander and fennel seeds over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the paprika and chile flakes and cook, stirring, for 30 more seconds. Scrape the spices into a blender along with the olive oil and blend until smooth. Let the spices stand in the oil for 30 minutes. Pour the oil through a fine sieve into a bowl and discard any solids.

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas and garlic and purée until smooth. Add the cooked sunchokes along with the tahini and lemon juice and purée until very smooth, at least 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and scrape the hummus into a shallow serving bowl. Drizzle the spiced oil over the hummus and sprinkle with the parsley before serving with sweet potato or pita wedges.

Makes 3½ cups.