Piquant Roasted Root Vegetables
Piquant Roasted Root Vegetables is an easy, tasty way to take advantage of the root vegetables that are in season right now. The vegetables are tossed in a warm, fragrant spice mixture, then roasted until soft and sweetly caramelized. Delicious on their own, they are outstanding when served with a garlicky, lemony aioli on the side.
The idea for this recipe comes from a tapas dish we had in Madrid, Pan-fried Potatoes with Piquant Paprika. Wedges of potatoes were pan-fried, the potatoes then tossed in a mixture of paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper and served with a garlicky aioli sauce on the side. I was hooked at the aioli. Anything that involves any type of mayonnaise is a winner with me.
Using the spices from the tapas dish for inspiration I made a “Canadian” winter version using a variety of root vegetables. The vegetables are tossed in the spice mixture along with a good drizzle of olive oil, then roasted until soft and caramelized. The roasted vegetables pair beautifully with my Quick and Easy Lemon Aioli. The slightly sweet, mellow roasted garlic flavour in the aioli echoes the sweetness of the caramelized vegetables, while the preserved lemon adds the perfect burst of brightness.
For the vegetables I used baby potatoes and carrots, plus a kohlrabi and a purple top turnip, but you can substitute any of your favorite root vegetables. When preparing your vegetables, make sure to cut them roughly the same size so that they cook evenly. I took advantage of having the oven on and roasted my garlic as well, for my Quick and Easy Lemon Aioli.
Serve drizzled with some lemony aioli for and easy, healthy side dish with roasted meat or fish, or as a tapas/ appetizer with some of the lemon aioli on the side for dipping into.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 purple top turnip
- 1 kohlrabi
- 1 large carrot (or 6-8 baby carrots)
- 12 small potatoes.
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables. You want the vegetables to be roughly the same size or thickness so that they will cook evenly. Peel the kohlrabi and turnip and cut into 1-inch cubes. Clean the potatoes and cut them in 1/2.
- Peel the carrot, and cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1inch pieces. If using baby carrots, peel and cut thicker ones in half lengthwise, leaving any smaller ones whole.
- In a small bowl mix together the spices and salt. Place the prepped vegetables on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle the spice mixture over top. Stir or toss the vegetables until evenly coated with the oil and spice mixture. Spread the vegetables out evenly on the baking sheet.
- Roast the vegetables in the oven for 15 minutes. Stir the vegetables, turning them over so they brown all sides. Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue let roast until all the vegetables are tender and golden/dark, about 15-25 minutes.
- Serve with Lemony Aioli on the side for dipping or drizzling over top.