I love these ugly looking things! They are sunchokes AKA Jerusalem artichokes. I am not sure how to describe them. They are like a cross between potatoes and artichokes but are kind of sweet and not starchy.
When I first came across these years ago, I was using them in a soup for which they needed to be peeled. This made them labor intensive, and therefore, not that interesting. But I read in the Vedge cookbook that the skin is edible. Revelation! So, I washed and dried them, tossed them in a very small drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt, and roasted them.
They are great right out of the oven, cold in a salad or dropped into soup.
1 bunch sunchokes
Drizzle of high heat oil
Pinch of salt
Cut the sunchokes into bite size pieces, about the same size. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Roast in a 400 oven for 20 to 30 minutes until golden. Enjoy!