Roasted Root Vegetables

Roasted root vegetables are treasures worthy of notice. They are available in winter when other vegetables are hard to find and very inexpensive. Turnips, potatoes, rutabagas, carrots, onions, beets and parsnips all have great taste when roasted with olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs. The more fresh herbs the better for this dish. There is no need to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil since you will be roasting the vegetables. Any good Olive Oil will do.

Ingredients:

2 pounds assorted root vegetables peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, peeled and cut into wedges
2 or 3 tablespoons good olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled and smashed
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar
smoked sea salt to taste (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut all the pieces of vegetables to about the same size so they will cook evenly.  Place the root vegetables and onion in a non-stick roasting pan, or line the pan with some non-stick aluminum foil. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and salt to taste. Set the garlic cloves aside for now. Do not crowd the vegetables. Roast the vegetables for 45-50 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, scatter the garlic cloves in with the vegetables. Continue stirring every 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned. Do not let the garlic burn for it will taste quite bitter if it burns. Before serving, add some more fresh rosemary, parsley and oregano, all roughly chopped and sprinkle with some balsamic vinegar.