It’s that time of year where root veg is starting to arrive in abundance, meaning that now it’s time for me to face up to my historic avoidance of root veg. I’ve just never been a fan of root veg flavours. But with swede, carrots and parsnips in this week’s veg bag I decided to face the root veg head on.
I figured it was best to start with some kind of roast dish where I could douse the offending root veg in flavours. The BBC good food website delivered with a recipe that added garlic, herbs, lemon, nuts, seeds and feta cheese. All the good things. But actually none of these flavours overpowered the veg. Instead they allowed you to taste the individual flavours. I discovered I actually quite like swede and parsnips and carrots aren’t that offensive. This dish was so easy to make – I served it to guests and it went really smoothly for a first cook. And it went excellently with pan fried greens (because more of those just keep on coming!) I’ve also since eaten it without the feta for a truly plant based meal and it was just as tasty.
Prep time 15 mins – Cooking time 50 mins – Serves 4
- 1kg mixed roots – I used carrots, parsnips and swede – cut into batons and halved
- 200g new potatoes, halved
- 3 garlic cloves, skin left on
- 4 rosemary sprigs
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50g mixed nuts and seeds
- 50g feta
Preheat oven to 200 / 180 fan. Tip the roots, potatoes and garlic cloves into a large roasting tin. Nestle the herbs in amongst them, then drizzle with olive oil and toss, so everything is well coated. Season and roast for 50 mins, or until all the vegetables are tender.
Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin and mush with the rest of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Toss the roots in the dressing, scatter over the nuts, feta and serve.
Adventures in plant based recipes 