Roasted Winter Root Vegetables

The thing with a winter CSA in New England is that there are weeks when you are overrun with so many root vegetables that you might be overwhelmed at the idea of making a bunch of different dishes to use them all.  Sweet potatoes, beets, rutabagas, rainbow carrots, parsnips; the list goes on.  And while I'm learning to enjoy some of these new-to-me veggies, I don't necessarily want to invest a whole lot of time, effort, and energy into prepping something I don't know if I like yet.  I want to be able to taste the essence of these veggies the first time I make them.  Then, once I know I like them, I can experiment with  new cooking methods, seasonings, and dishes to incorporate them.  So these basic roasted winter veggies are a a perfect way to enjoy each vegetable in it's own flavor, but also use up a lot of different vegetables at once.  Perfectly seasoned and roasted to a crisp outside and fluffy soft inside, this recipe is a great way to just enjoy the bounty of winter.

It just so happened that after receiving our CSA box, I hopped on to Pinterest and found this recipe from I Heart Nap Time that turned out to be perfect.  A flexible recipe that allowed for me to incorporate the veggies I had on hand, adjust the quantities for just Dave and I (although I ended up sharing a lot with friends), and since the hardest part is just he washing, prepping and chopping of the veggies, it's a simple way to get a hearty, healthy side dish on the table while your steaks are being grilled or meatloaf is baking up.  Even though I used about half the vegetables that Leigh Anne used, it still made a ton, so you could definitely serve this for a dinner party or pot luck.  The Worcestershire sauce, paprika and garlic salt are a nice blend of smoky flavors with a bit of bite that really let the veggies just shine.  So pull out all those one-off winter root vegetables you have around and get to chopping for a simple but delicious side.

Roasted Winter Root Vegetables

Ingredients

5 cups vegetables (such as sweet potato, rutabaga, parsnips, rainbow carrots, squash, potatoes, peppers, onion, mushrooms, etc.)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Clean a prep vegetables.  Cut into about 1 inch pieces or cubes so that all the vegetable pieces are about the same size.  Separate hard vegetables (potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, etc.) from the softer vegetables (peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc.).  Set soft vegetables aside.

In a small bowl or measure cup, whisk together olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and garlic salt. Pour this sauce over hard vegetables.

Spread seasoned vegetables out in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

Place soft vegetables in the bowl that had the hard vegetables and sauce in it and stir to coat slightly with the excess sauce.  Remove baking sheet from oven, add seasoned soft vegetable to partially cooked hard vegetables and stir to combine.  Return to oven and back for 15-20 more minutes.

Vegetables are cooked when the are fork tender.  Remove from oven, transfer to serving bowl and serve hot.

Makes 6 servings.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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