Ugly & Misunderstood Vegetables

I actually look forward to the cold dark days of winter and the wonderful dishes that we only eat this time of year, like roasted root vegetables.  Ugly and oft misunderstood, vegetables like rutabaga, parsnip, and turnip don’t seem all that appealing compared to well, most everything else in the produce section.

But a bit of olive oil and a hot oven will transform these veggies and coax the earthy sweetness out of them. Nothing satisfies alongside a roast chicken like this recipe.

Roasted Root Vegetables

 

½-1 lb each parsnips, rutabagas, carrots, and yams

½ lb each red potatoes and turnips (optional)

1 large onion, yellow or red

2 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 425̊.  Peel and cut onion, parsnips, rutabagas, carrots, and turnips into uniform chunks, about 1½”.  Leave yams and potatoes unpeeled, and cut into chunks the same size as the other vegetables.  Toss with olive oil in a large roasting pan, turning to coat all of the vegetables.  Season lightly with salt and pepper and place in oven.  After 10 minutes, stir vegetables well to ensure that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.  Repeat after another 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375̊.  Continue roasting until vegetables are tender and the onion is nicely caramelized, about 20-25 additional minutes.