Still planning your Thanksgiving menu? Here is a perfect recipe for a side dish from Jennie Lorenzo, executive chef of Fifth Floor.  Be sure to read this Examiner's interview with chef Lorenzo.

Sunchoke Gratin

Ingredients:

* 1 lb. sunchokes
* 1 small onion, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup grated Three Sister's Serena cheese (or parmesan cheese)
* 3 tbsp butter
* salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Peel the sunchokes and boil them in a pot of water; cook until just tender (test with a fork). Drain, let cool slightly for safe handling. Slice sunchokes into 1/4" thick pieces.

2. Smear the bottom of a baking dish with butter. Arrange one layer of sliced sunchokes on the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping each slice. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Lay the sliced onion on top of the sunchokes, and evenly sprinkle half the amount of grated cheese over the onions.

4. Finish with another layer of sliced sunchokes over the onion (same arrangement as the bottom layer). Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and season with salt and pepper.

5. Drop a few dots of butter and bake at 375 degrees in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the top is light golden brown. Let the gratin rest a few minutes before serving.

Fifth Floor, 12 Fourth Street at Market, on the fifth floor of the Hotel Palomar.  415.348.1555.