roasted vegetable mega mix

servings
6 - 8

method

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 flavor 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.

Light your wood oven about 2 hours before you are ready to start cooking. Let the temperature come down to about 190ºC/375ºF. When the oven reaches the right temperature, use the long-handled wire brush to push the coals to the sides and clear room for your roasting tray. If any of your carrots, parsnips or turnips are particularly big, chop them in half. You can parboil all your veg together, except for 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 flavors and do the same. When you get to the parsnips, keep the honey back for later. Make sure each group of veg is separate in the roasting tray. Cover the tray with tin foil and keep in the fridge until the oven is the right temperature.

Slide in the tray of vegetables and roast them for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are golden, crispy and beautiful looking turning. Make sure you turn the tray every 15 minutes or so and take a peek every so often to see how they’re coming along. Five minutes before they are ready take the tray out, get rid of the tin foil, drizzle the honey over the parsnips and jiggle the tray so they are nicely coated. Put the tray back in the oven then cook for 5 more minutes, or until they are sticky and golden. Pile all the veg up on a platter so they sprawl and hang all over the place. Every single mouthful will taste different and exciting – you’ll definitely want to keep it close to you at the table.

2009, Mag, Jamie p76

ingredients

For all of the vegetables
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 500g carrots, peeled
• juice from 1 clementine, squeezed halves reserved
• a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked

• 2 bulbs of fennel, peeled and quartered
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• juice of ½ a lemon

• 400g parsnips, peeled
• a lug of white wine vinegar
• a couple of sprigs of fresh sage, leaves picked and torn
• a small teaspoon of honey

• 350g beets, larger ones cut into chunks
• a good couple of lugs of balsamic vinegar
• a few sprigs of fresh oregano or marjoram (if you can get it)

• 350g baby turnips
• a couple of good lugs of red wine vinegar
• 5 fresh bay leaves