Roasted Roots

Many of the vegetables that you get in your CSA box will take on a sweeter, deeper flavor when roasted.  Carrots, winter squash, rutabagas, potatoes, beets, dry garlic, daikon, onions and turnips all work well.  

Here are some tips: If you want to have crispy skins and soft interiors, choose a pan that is big enough so that the vegetables aren’t bunched up too closely together.  Another tip is to think about the size of the cubes that you chop.  Bite-sized works well, as does size uniformity (more-or-less), because you want everything to be done at the same time.  The measurements and ingredients are very flexible.  Once you have succeeded at this recipe, you are likely to come back to it time and time again, using your favorite vegetables.  When you chop the vegetables, it can be fun to try different shapes – make the rutabagas into cubes, in contrast to the round potatoes for example.

The ingredients are flexible.  It can be 100% potatoes, or a mixture of winter squash, carrots, potatoes, rutabagas, beets, onions, and/or turnips.  The red daikon that we often include in your CSA box is a great contrast to potatoes.  Chop the vegetables to similarly sized pieces.  You may want to remove the skin of certain winter squash.  If you are using onion, you may only want to quarter the onion, since it will tend to fall apart into smaller pieces as it roasts. 

2 -4 Tablespoons of fresh rosemary, or other herbs

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 375º.

Combine the chopped vegetables into a large bowl and toss with a generous amount of olive oil.  Sprinkle with rosemary, other herbs, salt and pepper.  Spread the vegetables evenly on a large roasting pan. Don’t cover the pan. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes and then check progress, turning the vegetables over in the pan, but maintaining even distribution.  The vegetables are likely to need another 20–30 minutes.  Check them again, making sure that all the different kinds of vegetables are done before you remove them from the oven.