Root-Vegetables

A Roasted Medley

Root-Vegetables ~ Natures Super Foods

The dry heat slowly softens them while releasing some of their moisture; it also caramelizes their natural sugars and gives the vegetables crunchy surfaces that contrast so nicely with their tender interiors.

What could possibly look or taste more delicious alongside roast poultry or meats?

The secret to successful roasted vegetables begins with buying them.

Seek out good-quality specimens without blemishes or soft spots.

I especially like to look in farmers' markets and well-stocked food stores for organic vegetables, which are more likely to give you the best flavor without traces of harmful chemicals.

At home, prepare the vegetables in a way that gives you pieces of equal size, so they'll cook evenly.

Small or baby vegetables may be just trimmed and left whole, while larger ones may need halving, quartering, or slicing, depending on their size and shape.

The variety of colors and shapes will look like a cornucopia of the harvest season.

Then, all you have to do is season them with salt and pepper and drizzle them with olive oil in the baking dish.

I also like to add a few sprigs of herbs to scent them, along with whole unpeeled garlic cloves that will turn as soft as butter, rich and sweet.

(Squeezed from their skins, the roast garlic may be dabbed on bites of the other vegetables or your holiday roast, or smeared onto pieces of crusty bread.)

Finally, be patient.

Slow cooking at a not-too-high temperature ensures that the vegetables reach perfect tenderness just as their surfaces turn brown and crusty.

You'll find the results so irresistible that the thought of a green vegetable won't even cross your mind.

Roasted Root-Vegetable Medley

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients;

8 to 12 slender carrots

8 to 12 baby turnips

6 to 8 fingerling potatoes

1 or 2 large parsnips

1 or 2 medium onions

1 or 2 large beets

1 or 2 kohlrabi bulbs

1 celery root (celeriac) bulb

1 whole head garlic

2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, sage, or thyme

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh parsley or chives, for garnish

Root-Vegetables Preparation;

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables, making sure that all pieces are roughly the same size or thickness for even cooking.

Cut off and discard any green tops.

Peel and trim the carrots.

Peel the turnips.

Scrub the potatoes under cold running water to remove surface dirt, but leave the peels on; cut the cleaned potatoes lengthwise in halves.

Peel and trim the parsnips and cut them diagonally into 1-inch chunks.

Trim, peel, and halves the onions, then cut each half into quarters.

Peel the beets and kohlrabi and cut them into thick wedges.

Trim the celery root, cut it in halves, and cut each half crosswise into slices 1 inch thick. Separate the head of garlic into individual cloves, leaving them unpeeled.

Put all the vegetables and the herb sprigs in a large baking dish.

Drizzle generously with olive oil, season well with salt and black pepper, and toss them with your hands to coat them evenly.

Put the baking dish in the preheated oven and cook, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting, until the vegetables are golden brown and tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a metal skewer or small, sharp knife, about 45 minutes.

Present the vegetables in their baking dish or transfer them to a heated platter, garnishing with freshly chopped parsley or chives just before serving.

This is a wonderful roasted root-vegetables accompanyment for any and all occasions!

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