Place the peeled and chopped burdock in a pot or saucepan and cover with lightly salted water by one inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the pieces are easily pierced by a fork.

Melt the butter over medium-high heat and add the minced garlic, cooking a few minutes until fragrant. Add the burdock and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Smash some of the pieces with the back of a fork or a potato masher. Toss in all but a few teaspoons of the chives and season with salt and pepper.

Top with the remaining chives and serve alongside the same main courses you would a buttery root vegetable.

USING LEFTOVERS:

If you have leftover cooked burdock, fried burdock patties make a great next-day breakfast.

Mash up the cooked pieces as much as you can and press a few tablespoons of the vegetable at a time into a flattish patty. Shallow fry the patties up in a bit of hot oil and flip halfway through until lightly golden brown and crispy.

Alternatively, you can mix up a cup or so of your favorite fritter batter and mix the smashed burdock together with the batter. Take a few tablespoons of the mixture at a time and shallow fry in hot oil, pressing the patties flat as soon as they hit the pan and flipping them halfway through cooking. Again, fry them until they are lightly golden brown and crispy on both sides.

Serve the patties in much the same way you would a potato pancake: on their own, with sour cream, with applesauce, or both.