For years I've often roasted the onions, carrots and celery I added to stocks I was making. I'd toss them with a bit of olive oil, add a pinch of salt, stick them in a hot oven on a baking sheet, and let them brown. Roasting accomplishes two things: first, it concentrates the natural sugars in the vegetable (at least with those veggies that have some natural sugar); and second the browning adds a great deal of savor. But you needn't limit yourself to stock ingredients. All of these roast vegetables are delicious as they are – and some will totally surprise you with the way roasting transforms them.
Herb-roasted Sweet Potato Recipe: Insanely Delicious
Copyright 2011 Kevin D Weeks
My sister turned me on to this recipe almost 20 years ago and I've been making them ever since. Roasting intensifies the potato's sweetness and the herbs highlight it. Sliced into thin wedges they'll roast in 30 minutes and even the peel is good (albeit not as good as the peel on a regular potato). Get a couple of not-too-thick potatoes. They should be 6- to 7-inches long and no more than 3-inches at the thickest part. Turn the oven on the moment you walk in the house so it will already be hot.
Honey-mustard Roasted Beets: Sweet, Earthy and Bright
Copyright 2009 Kevin D Weeks
These Honey-mustard Roasted Beets are one of my favorite beet recipes - simultaneously bright, sweet, and earthy. The beets provide sweetness and that deep earthy flavor. The honey points up their sweetness while the mustard adds a luscious, pungent edge. The lemon and mint round out the dish by bringing out and highlighting the beets' fresh flavor.
Greek Roast Potatoes: Grecian Classic
Copyright 2011 Kevin D Weeks
Look up "Greek roast potatoes" on Google and 99 percent of the entries will be for some variation of this recipe. They won't all be the same, the herbs may vary a bit as well as the details of the cooking technique, but basically it's the same recipe: potatoes, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and herbs. These potatoes are the perfect (and traditional) accompaniment to Greek Roast Leg of Lamb.
Roasted Cauliflower: A Transformative Dish
Copyright 2008 Kevin D Weeks
Roasting cauliflower totally changes its character, providing a wonderfully nutty undercurrent of flavor. You may wonder at my use of granulated garlic as opposed to fresh garlic, but I've found that the fresh garlic ends up in the pan while the powdered garlic clings to the cauliflower, ultimately providing more garlic flavor.
Roasted Rutabaga: Naturally Sweet Morsels
Copyright 2009 Kevin D Weeks
I grew up eating pureed rutabaga, but a few years ago discovered the joy of roasting it. Roasting rutabaga concentrates and highlights it's natural sweetness. In this recipe I season the rutabaga with a dried Italian Herb mixture (you can find one in the spice section at the grocery), which also highlights the sweetness. I also add a teaspoon of sugar, which actually has little effect on the sweetness but encourages browning.
Roast Brussels Sprouts: Winter at its Best
Copyright 2010 Andrea Nguyen
I don't know why it took me so long to roast Brussels sprouts. Lord knows I've roasted almost every other vegetable you can imagine. Nevertheless I did finally get around to it and I've been kicking myself ever since for not doing so before. As with most vegetables, roasting highlights their natural sugars and deepens the flavor. Roasting is also effective at eliminating the aromatic compounds that cause many to dislike sprouts.