Roasted Root Vegetables
“We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
- Aldo Leopold
In my freshman year of college, I took a (life-changing) environmental ethics class that turned me vegetarian for five years and made me temporarily declare a psychology and philosophy double major (Note: I was only one credit short from accomplishing this but did not because I had this weird goal of wanting to finish college in less than three years). Even though I’m not a vegetarian anymore, a lot of the books and essays — writings by Peter Singer, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson — from that class stuck with me and shaped my views on life, food, and the environment.
When it comes to the world of food, you want to treat what feeds you (and entertains you with heart-shaped potato and peach butts) with respect. The ability to prepare food with care and respect, demonstrates the professionalism and passion of professional cooks and chefs. One of the easiest ways for home cooks, who aren’t necessarily trained in the art of slicing shit, to do this is by keeping things simple and cooking simply. I’m talkin’ roasted vegetables, especially root vegetables. You’re not overwhelming or drowning it in sauce, you’re kinda letting it be, letting nature take center stage because of the caramelization that’s happening in the oven…I think that’s kinda cool.
(I think the reason why I’m so hippie dippy tonight is because I just re-read Silent Springs from the New Yorker archives. It was kind of like a “whoa” moment for me. Besides, I think the end of December is the perfect time for personal reflection.)
Note: I can totally picture people I know teasing me about this post. “I didn’t know you were so soft!” Well, I didn’t know I was either.
For 6 servings:
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. chopped rosemary
- 1 tbsp. chopped thyme
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 lb. baby red potatoes
- 1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 lb. parsnips, peeled and chopped
- 2 small red onions, peeled and sliced
Preheat oven to 425F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl and stir. Add root vegetables and onions (it’s technically a bulb vegetable!); Toss to coat. Roast veggies until tender, gently stirring every 15 minutes or so, for about 47 to 50 minutes.
