Roast Vegetable Mega Mix
It makes sense to get your head around doing a mega mix of beautiful roast vegetables as well as potatoes because this recipe uses the same principles. It's really a guide to get you thinking along the right lines and looking for the flavour combos that work for you. If you want to prepare the vegetables the day before and just keep the roasting tray in a cold place that will be fine because the acid and oil will keep them from discolouring. Trust me, doing these the day before will make Christmas Day that little bit easier.
Ingredients
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
18 ounces/ 500 g carrots, peeled
Juice of 1 clementine, squeezed halves reserved
Couple sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
2 bulbs fennel, peeled and quartered
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
Juice of 1/2 lemon
14 ounces/ 400 g parsnips, peeled
A lug of white wine vinegar
Couple sprigs fresh sage, leaves picked and torn
A small teaspoon honey
12 1/2 ounces/ 350 g beets, larger ones cut into chunks
A couple of good lugs of balsamic vinegar
A few sprigs fresh oregano or marjoram (if you can get it)
12 1/2 ounces/ 350 g baby turnips
A couple of good lugs red wine vinegar
5 fresh bay leaves
Directions
- If any of your carrots, parsnips or turnips are particularly big, chop them in 1/2. You can parboil the carrots, fennel, parsnips, and baby turnips together-everything except the beets, as they'll turn everything else red! The beets also take quite a bit longer to cook, around 20 to 25 minutes. Put the rest of the vegetables into a large pot, cover with cold water and season well. Bring to the boil and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes until you've got part-cooked, softened bendy vegetables, and then drain in a colander and leave to steam dry. Get yourself a small tray, and use it to mix up each set of vegetables with their own gorgeous flavours, a few good lugs of oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the carrots, clementines and rosemary together first and move them to a larger roasting tray so they're all together. Then mix your fennel with its flavours and do the same... When you get to the parsnips, keep the honey back for later. Make sure each vegetable group is separate in the roasting tray. Cover the tray with tin foil and keep in the refrigerator or the garage until your turkey is out of the oven and resting. When you are ready to cook them, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F/ 190 degrees C/ Gas 5. Roast the vegetables in the hot oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour until they are golden, crispy and beautiful looking. Five minutes before they are ready to come out of the oven take the tray out, drizzle the honey over the parsnips and jiggle the tray so they are nicely coated. Pile all the vegetables up on a platter so they sprawl and hang all over the place. That platter is like winter in a nutshell, and every single mouthful will taste different and exciting - you'll definitely want to keep it close to you at the table.
