Roasted Root Vegetables

Between the Thanksgiving feasts and the birthday pizzas I’ve had in the recent weeks, and the insane amount of latkes I will eat at the end of the month, I decided the middle of December is a time to detox.  What better way to do that than with a whole bunch of vegetables?  And since it’s that time of year, let’s make it root vegetables!

This is a delicious and healthy dish that has become a cold weather favorite for my family.  I legitimately can’t remember when or how this recipe came to our Shabbat dinner table for the first time, but I can tell you that my sisters and I have been requesting it ever since. 

What’s great about this recipe is how adaptable it is.  You can play around with what root vegetables you use, depending on your taste.  Don’t like parsnips?  Leave them out.  Can’t get enough beets?  Add some more.  The basic principle stays the same no matter what you put in the oven.  And they all taste good hot and fresh, with that lovely hint of rosemary.  So grab your favorite root vegetables, get out your peeler and you knife, and enjoy a hearty, healthy, and delicious dish.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 russet potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes

2 bunches of beets

3 carrots

3 parsnips

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

3-4 sprigs of rosemary

You can totally save the beet greens and use them in another dish!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F

1.  Peel and wash all the vegetables, then cut them into similar sized chunks (except for the garlic, which is already small, so just keep the cloves as they are).  I recommend doing everything but the beets through step 3, then going back, doing the beets, and adding them right before baking (this reduces the color bleed from the beets).

2.  Toss the vegetables with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and a dash each of salt and pepper until everything is evenly coated.

3.  Spread the vegetables out in a large pan (or pans) so that everything is in a single layer.  I recommend using a roasting pan or two for this.  Take the rosemary springs and lay them on top of the vegetables (rosemary is so fragrant that it will flavor all the vegetables in the pan just by being in the oven with them).

4.  Put the vegetables into the oven and bake for about an hour, turning them once halfway through.  They’re done when things are just starting to brown (or are an acceptable level of browness for you).  The vegetables will shrink up in the oven, so don't be surprised!  Serve warm or room temperature.

Enjoy!