After the Feast: Roasting Root Vegetables

By Lori Powell

Time to embrace the art of roasting roots. And what better way to celebrate the veggie pickings – small beets and turnips – found on the last day of the Hellertown Farmer’s Market in Pennsylvania?

Our Thanksgiving feast featured turkey three ways (brined breast and legs, whole stuffed turkey and turkey roulade), homemade creamed onions, mashed potatoes, stuffing two ways…and more. Then the desserts! All of that turkey day goodness leaves me with a hankering for simply prepared vegetables.

The art of roasting is easy and practically foolproof. Use freshly grown produce, such as hearty vegetables like parsnips, carrots, potatoes and celeriac, sprinkled with a touch of olive oil and seasonings.

With the oven turned up high, what occurs is the caramelization of the natural sugars in the vegetables, making them golden brown and sweet. Nothing bad about that, since it all results in flavor, flavor, flavor!

Embrace a meatless meal several times a week and you will not miss the meat with these flavor-packed roasted veggies below.

To get the roasted beet recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Roasted Beets
Serve with a dollop of ricotta cheese or softened goat cheese and salad greens. Serve leftovers in sliced in sandwiches, added to soup or with roasted meat or fish.

1 pound beets
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Pinch of sea salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400° F. Trim beet greens and stems, leaving 1inch of stem attached to beets and reserve greens for another use. Scrub beets well and place in one layer on a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Wrap foil tightly around beets. Place on a sheet pan and roast in middle of oven until fork-tender, about 40 minutes (depending on size of beets).

Carefully open foil to release steam and let cool before peeling. If you can wait a day, place the beets in a re-sealable plastic bag in the fridge overnight. This will enable the skins to come off easily by rubbing with paper towels.

Cut beets into wedges and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil, a touch of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings.

To get the roasted baby turnips recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Roasted Baby Turnips
This recipe makes more than you would want for one dinner. Leftovers would be delicious added to pasta and salads.

1 pound baby turnips, trimmed, scrubbed and cut into quarters
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon drained prepared horseradish
1 scallion, green part only, chopped

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss turnips with 1 tablespoon of the oil and salt and pepper on a sheet pan until turnips are coated well. Roast in middle of oven, turning occasionally, until golden brown and tender, about 20 minutes.

While turnips are roasting, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat in a medium skillet until hot and toast breadcrumbs, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in horseradish, scallions and salt to taste.

Transfer roasted turnips to a plate and sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture.

Makes 4 servings.

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Related posts:

1. Going Meatless with Eggplant Parm Stacks
2. Talkin’ Pumpkin (and not the Carving Kind….)
3. It’s Easy Being Green
4. A Ghost in My House
5. Get a Jump-Start on Cooking your Thanksgiving Feast

Comments

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