Roasted winter vegetables are so deliciously crunchy, salty, sweetly caramelized, and tender, they (almost) feel like a guilty pleasure.
But I can assure you, the only downside to eating a whole batch may be singeing your fingers as you pluck them off the roasting pan. They are relatively low in calories, high in nutrients, minerals, and fiber, immensely versatile and just plain good for you.
Winter’s roots—carrots, parsnips, beets, sweet potatoes, turnips, and new potatoes—sweeten in the oven as the high heat condenses and intensifies their flavors. Tossing them with a little oil keeps them from sticking to the pan, and a sprinkle of coarse salt helps draw their juices to the surface. Coarse salt is the best choice; unlike fine salt, it sticks in spots and does not coat the vegetable. It enhances, not overwhelms, the taste.
The key to roasting dense, low-moisture winter roots is to use high heat (a 400-degree F oven) and allow a little more time than with tender, moist vegetables like zucchini and eggplant. Be sure to move the vegetables around so they don’t burn and stick to the pan.
Once they’re out of the oven, roast vegetables open up a range of opportunities. Serve them as side dishes as well as dinner. Make a hearty grain bowl with barley or wild rice. Top polenta or tangle in spaghetti with aged cheese. Whir them with stock for a silky, creamless soup. Make hash and top with fried eggs, bake them into a pot pie, scatter them over a pizza or fold them into a frittata. I like to buzz the vegetables into hummus or sour cream for chip dips and sandwich spreads.
It is always a good idea to roast more than you need and feed your imagination.
