A Recipe from Our Book: Roasted Potatoes and Other Root Vegetables
Michael at the Santa Monica farmers' market picking up some potatoes.
It’s that time of year again, when the cold weather and the festive season make us want to roast potatoes and other root vegetables as a perfect side dish to any home-cooked meal. This recipe from Welcome to Michael’s is perfect for fingerlings and peewees or other small specialty potatoes, though larger Yukon Golds or russets will do fine if quartered before roasting. The recipe is also great for beets, onions, white turnips, parsnips, or carrots, and it also works with winter squash and other dense vegetables. There’s no need to peel the potatoes or beets; the potato skins roast up nicely, and if the beets are bigger than babies you can just slip the skins from them after roasting. The roasting caramelizes the sugars in vegetables, bringing out their natural sweetness.
Roasted Potatoes and Other Root Vegetables
Serves 4
- 1 pound peewee or other small heirloom potatoes or other root vegetables
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (especially good with potatoes), chives, flat-leaf parsley, basil, or mint
- Coarse salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or pecans
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the vegetables in a baking dish. Add enough oil to coat the vegetables generously and leave a residue in the dish. Add the garlic and rosemary. (If using the softer herbs, add them after the vegetables have been removed from the oven.) Season with salt and pepper.
Place in the preheated oven and roast until the point of a small, sharp knife easily penetrates the thickest part, about 30 minutes for small vegetables and 45 minutes for larger ones. Toss in the citrus zest and nuts about 5 minutes before the vegetables are ready.
Remove from the oven. Protecting your fingers with a paper towel, squeeze the flesh from the garlic skins into the vegetables, discarding the skins. With a spoon, toss the garlic with the vegetables. Serve immediately.
