Roasted vegetables

Not so much a recipe as a reminder that roasted vegetables aren’t limited to potatoes and don’t have to appear alongside Sunday lunch!  We’re really talking about winter, root veg here – carrots, parsnips, beetroot, butternut squash, leeks and onions – and you can adapt this depending on which you have to hand, what’s in season (vegetables in season tend to be cheaper), and what herbs and spices you choose to add.  As a result, it is never the same twice!

Roasting is a very forgiving way to cook winter veg (it takes a lot to overcook them to the point that they’re too caramelised (burnt) to eat and it brings out their natural sweetness. 

Any leftovers are delicious as the base for a salad, but they won’t be as crisp. 

Serves 4.

Ingridients

• About 1kg of vegetables, peeled and chopped to roughly the same size.  The bigger the pieces, the longer they will take to cook.
• Olive oil
• 2 tsp of chopped herbs (such as rosemary and thyme) or spices (such as cumin, coriander or smoked paprika)

 Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220C.

2. Put the prepared veg in a baking dish big enough to hold the veg in a single layer – otherwise the ones underneath will steam; there’s nothing wrong with that, they’ll just taste different and have a different texture!

3. Season with salt (if using) and pepper and add the herbs and spices, if using.

4. Pour over enough olive oil to lightly coat everything.

5. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until fully cooked and starting to colour.  You do not want them to burn as they then become bitter.  Stir the tin periodically to ensure everything’s evenly roasted. 

Team Tip: unpeeled garlic cloves are also nice in this but warn people they want to suck out the soft insides and not eat the papery peel!