With 3 Jerusalem artichokes in hand – the dilemma of what to do with them at lunchtime loomed.  I wanted something snacky, not too much effort and tasty to boot.  Well Jerusalem artichokes are not known for their strength of flavour so it had to be something that I could compliment with a more flavoursome paring.  The solution of course included garlic.

I finally settled on a style of fritters served with Aioli Mayonnaise

Note: The Aioli mayonnaise should be prepared ahead of time and left in the fridge to cool

To prepare the Aioli mayonnaise add ½ teaspoon of crushed garlic to ½ cup of homemade mayonnaise

I use a Bamix to make mayonnaise and also use their recipe which is absolutely foolproof and to which I add a variety of ingredients depending on my tastebud’s mood.

Recipe for Artichoke Fritters

What you’ll need to serve 2:

oil for frying

3 Jerusalem artichokes

2 tablespoons gram flour (chickpea meal)

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 tablespoon self-raising flour (I used gluten-free but any flour is ok)

¼ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons ice cold sparkling water

To prepare:

1. Place the oil in a deep saucepan and heat – while the oil is heating prepare the rest
2. Peel the Jerusalem artichokes and slice into chip size pieces (pat dry)
3. Mix all of the dry ingredients (first 4)in a small deep bowl
4. Test the oil to check if it is ready (test with a little piece of peel – it should sizzle and float to the top in a couple of seconds)
5. Pour the sparkling water into the dry ingredients and mix roughly into a batter (it does not need to be smooth) but should coat the back of a wooden spoon
6. Stir the artichoke pieces into the batter
7. Lift the pieces out 1 at a time and drop into the oil – cook a few at a time so that the oil doesn’t cool – turn each piece once
8. When golden brown remove with a slotted spoon and drain
9. Serve with Aioli dip

Note:  Of course you can use almost any vegetable to make these fritters – courgettes, sweet potato and peppers are particularly good