Roasted Root Vegetables
As Thanksgiving Day winks at us, what a great time of year to celebrate root vegetables. Carrots this year have been particularly sweet and colorful. While I tend to focus on the a big turkey leg and dressing smothered in gravy, my vegan daughter loves the mashed potatoes (churched up with some vegetable stock and soy milk) and vegetables roasted to a crisp caramel-brown in the oven.
The recipe for roasted veggies is below. It’s the most unfussy dish you will ever throw in a pan. Key ingredients can vary depending on which are your favorites and which look best in the store. Or, if you’re really lucky, which grew best in your garden. Carrots, sweet potatoes and onions all tend to be low priced this time of year.
If you read my earlier blog post about potting up rosemary and wintering it in a sunny window, here’s a photo of my rosemary which is doing very well so far. That’s what I’ve used in the recipe below.
Roasted Root Vegetables Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 pound carrots
- 1 pound yams or sweet potatoes
- 1/2 pound parsnips
- 1 medium onion, cut in chunks\
- 2 garlic cloves, minced\
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions:
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and slide it into the oven to heat on the middle rack. Putting the vegetables on a sizzling pan kick-starts the browning process. In my case, removing the hot tray from the oven also gives me one more chance to burn myself – so I can get that out of the way early.
- Cut the vegetables into consistent pieces, each about the size of a small French fry. Place them in a large bowl along with the onion, garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and oil.
- Spread the vegetables evenly over the hot cookie sheet and put in the oven. After about 15 minutes, turn the veggies over. Continue to bake until they are tender on the inside and brown on the outside. Remove from the oven and season to taste. Vegetables can absorb a lot of salt.
Using Leftovers
If you have leftovers, they are best quickly sautéed just to heat through before serving a second time. You can also microwave them, but they may get a little soggy. For something slightly more transformed, put them all in the blender, add some vegetable stock and make a sweet, nutritious puree.
You can read more about Dede’s publishing credits at her website,DedeRyan.com.
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