ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES--NOTHING TASTES BETTER

The only way vegetables can compete in flavor with oven roasted vegetables is stir frying. For roasting, however, only the relatively low-moisture and sturdy root vegetables can qualify. High moisture vegetables, like summer squash, end up as dried little inedible pellets. Roasting is very easy though it takes time.

Ingredients

1½ lb root vegetables, e.g. potatoes (may leave them unpeeled), parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, turnips, rutabagas, cut into coarse pieces (see note below)

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into large chunks (attached to root so rings remain together)

3 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped or 1 Tbsp dried, crushed

½ tsp salt

½ tsp fresh-ground black pepper

2 Tbsp vegetable oil, olive oil, butter or combination

6-8 cloves garlic, unpeeled

Ø Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Ø Mix all vegetables, onion, rosemary, salt and black pepper with oil or butter in a large shallow baking pan. Reserve unpeeled garlic cloves that you add halfway through baking.

Ø Place baking pan into preheated oven and flip and stir vegetables with a spatula about every 10 minutes. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes or until all vegetables have deep brown color.

Note: cut vegetables to larger pieces if quick cooking, smaller pieces if slow cooking, so all end up roasted just done but not overdone.

Serves 3 to 4.