I did not take any photos of this recipe, when I made it, but I’m sure I’ll make them again, as Autumn begins and temperatures start falling. Just be prepared for some updates to this recipe, come September and October. For the time being, this is just a simple recipe, that enhances the flavor of some often overlooked, hardy and cheap vegetables.

What are root vegetables?

Quite simplistically, root vegetables are any underground plant parts that are used for human consumption. Further, root vegetable are split into a few generic categories and then into each different vegetable.

• Bulbs:
  • Garlic
  • Onions (red, yellow, white, vidalia, etc.)
  • Fennel
  • Green Onions
  • Leeks
  • Shallots
• Corms:
  • Celery Root
  • Water Chestnut
  • Jerusalem Artichoke
• Rhizomes:
  • Ginger
  • Turmeric
• Tap roots:
  • Carrots (red, orange, yellow, white and purple)
  • Parsnips
  • Beets (red and golden)
  • Radishes (red, watermelon, black, daikon)
• Tuberous roots:
  • Sweet Potatoes (white, purple)
  • Yucca
• Tubers:
  • Potatoes (butter, russet, white, red, purple, etc.)
  • Yams
  • Rutabaga
  • Jicama
  • Cassava

I prefer roasting my root vegetables or smoking them on a low, slow charcoal grill. Since I don’t currently have my grill, it’s at my Mother’s home because we use it for Thanksgiving every year, I’ve opted to roast them. When roasting veggies, I like to cook them all at the same time, therefore, having the veggies at the same size is important. I like to roast veggies that are cut to about 1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces, depending on the type of root veggie.

For Bulbs, Tap Roots and Corms, I prefer a thicker cut, whereas Tubers and Tuberous Roots, I prefer a small cut, allowing all the veggies to cook at the same time.

Lets Get into it!

Roasted Root Veggies and Olives

• 1 large Onion, cut into quarters and then in half (roughly 1 inch pieces)
• 3 medium Rainbow Carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 8 red radishes, halved (roughly 1 inch pieces)
• 2 large Sweet Potatoes or Yams, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 large Beets, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 medium Fennel bulb, stems and leaves removed, quartered and then halved (roughly 1 inch pieces)
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil, or Garlic Confit Oil
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Italian, Greek, Tuscan or Moroccan Seasoning (optional)
• 6-8 large green olives

Get Roasting

1. Preheat your oven to 400F.
2. Prepare your veggies, as outlined above.
3. Add all veggies and olives to a large bowl, and add oil, seasonings and toss.
4. Add veggies to two parchment paper lined sheet pans
5. Place sheet pans in the oven on different racks, bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove pans from oven, flip veggies and place pans back into the oven, placing them onto the opposite racks. Bake 20 minuntes.
7. Remove from oven and serve as a side or on my Root Veggie Hummus Bowl.

Enjoy!