Roasted Fall Vegetables

The calendar might say there are still a few days of summer left, but the Westford Farmers' Market already has plenty of delicious fall vegetables.  And in my opinion, the tastiest way to enjoy these vegetables is to roast them.

Roasting vegetables brings out a delicious flavor and texture.  People who have only tried (and usually disliked) boiled brussels sprouts are often surprised to discover their almost creamy texture and slightly nutty flavor when roasted.  Roasting vegetables also makes them sweeter and less bitter—a sure bet to appeal to any veggie-phobics.

This week, I combined red onion, garlic, red and fingerling potatoes, and brussels sprouts.  The onion, garlic, and potatoes I found at Dragonfly Farms.  I haven’t seen brussels sprouts at the farmer’s market yet, but they should be available soon.  If you’ve never bought fresh sprouts before, there’s just something so fun about buying a stalk overflowing with individual brussels sprouts.

There are many fall vegetables that are delicious roasted.  In addition to the ones I’ve included in this recipe, you could also try adding butternut or other winter squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, cauliflower or broccoli, mushrooms, or anything else you feel like trying.  Though it’s not in season, I absolutely love and it works will in this dish as well.  Pick an assortment of your favorites from the Farmer’s Market and get roasting.  Choose a variety of colors, and it makes a stunning and delicious side dish.

It’s early to be thinking about Thanksgiving, but I can’t help but note that this is a wonderful Thanksgiving side dish.  You can even arrange the roasted vegetables on the serving platter around the cooked turkey for a beautiful presentation!

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 small red onions
• 1 head of garlic
• Approximately 2 pounds of potatoes (I used fingerling and red onions)
• Approximately 12 brussels sprouts
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and cut the onions into bite sized pieces.  Peel all the cloves of garlic—it’s fine to leave them whole, or if they’re very large cloves, cut in half.  Wash the potatoes well and cut into bite sized pieces.  There’s no need to remove the skin of the potatoes—especially if you use red potatoes, the skin adds a lovely color to the dish (and it’s full of vitamins!).  Wash the brussels sprouts, cut the bottom off, and remove any of the very loose outer leaves.  Small sprouts can be left whole; cut larger sprouts in halves or quarters.
3. Spread prepared vegetables onto a large baking sheet.  Don’t overcrowd—the vegetables caramelize better if they are all touching the bottom of the tray.
4. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil.  Sprinkle with rosemary and salt.  Stir the vegetables to coat.
5. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking.  Cooking time will vary based on the size of your vegetables.   Start checking around 30 minutes—vegetables are ready when they are lightly browned in places and fork tender.