Roasting Vegetables

Roasted Winter Vegetables with Garlic Sauce

Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 30-45 min

6 to 8 servings (as a side dish)

What you need:

• 6-8 cups winter vegetables: beets, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, winter squash, onions.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried or 3 tablespoons fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/ 220°C
2. Wash, peel and cut the vegetables into 1-inch pieces or slices at about ½ -inch thick. Keep onions separately, and add them to the pan with roasting vegetables 10-15 minutes into the baking time.
3. Toss the veggies in a large bowl with oil and herbs. Transfer into a greased baking pan. You might need two pans to spread vegetables in single layer. Nonstick baking pans will be less work to clean afterward.
4. Roast in the oven until tender, 30-45 minutes, stirring the veggies with a spatula every 10-15 minutes or so.
5. Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve roasted vegetables with garlic sauce (optional).

Roasted Garlic Sauce:

Remove loose outer layers, but do not peel one bulb of garlic.Cut off the top of the bulb to expose the tip of each clove. Place the bulb on a square of aluminum foil and season with salt and pepper (or drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil).Wrap tightly in foil and bake on the oven rack along with the vegetables until tender.

Squeeze roasted garlic cloves into a small bowl, puree with fork and stir in small cup of plain yogurt.

More serving ideas:

• Sprinkle with dried cranberries, nuts or your favorite cheese (Parmesan or crumbled feta are fantastic), and serve as a main dish.
• Serve as a healthy side dish with roasted meats or chicken, or a vegetarian entrée.
• Add roasted veggies to cold or hot pasta dishes.
• Top green salads with roasted winter veggies (especially great while the veggies are still warm).
• Roasting vegetables and adding them to soups or stews will intensify the color and flavors of these dishes. You can also puree the roasted vegetables and add them to stock to make a quick flavorful soup.