I ripped them off upon harvest, but not because I know anything, just processing them as far as I could. Are there any negative effects that some would expect?

I started following Charles Dowdings advice for the last few years: clip the roots right after harvesting, and peel off the outer layer or two. The roots are very tough once dry, making them harder to trim. And peeling the outer layers off makes them look nice, and doesn't seem to impact storage time.