TWENTY-NINE : ROASTED PARSNIPS & SWEET POTATOES W/ CAPER VINAIGRETTE

PLENTY

DECEMBER 13 2012

TWENTY-NINE : ROASTED PARSNIPS & SWEET POTATOES W/ CAPER VINAIGRETTE

Hello dear reader! I find I have been suffering a lack of enthusiasm for this blog the last few months and you may have noticed a looooonnnngg stretch without a post. During this downtime, I have made a few dishes from Plenty but simply failed to write up my experiences. I am determined to get back on track! So in the next few days I will try to catch up. Don't worry... there are only a few recipes to discuss so I won't be filling up your inbox or flooding your facebook feed. But bear with me as I drag us back to 2012 for a few days.


First up, a lovely roasted veg dish staring parsnip and sweet potato. I may have said this before, but I love, love, love roasted root vegetables and usually infuse them with woodsy rosemary countered with a splash of lemon before devouring them hot, room temp or straight from the tupperware container with my grubby little fingers while standing in front of the open fridge door. But now Mr. O has introduced me to an interesting new flavor idea by tossing the hot roasted veggies with a bracing caper vinaigrette. I must say, I quite enjoyed it.

The first half of the recipe doesn't stray much from my usual method except for the inclusion of an entire head of garlic simply sliced in half. I normally wouldn't have the gumption to include that much of such a bold ingredient (Mr. O really, really likes garlic I've discovered) but here it works because the pungent cloves mellow as they roast and remain contained so one can easily dish themselves as little or as much as they desire.

Along with the titular ingredients and garlic, a couple red onions are wedged and tossed into the roasting pan along with rosemary, thyme and a healthy glug of olive oil. This mix is roasted for about an hour until cooked through and nicely browned.

Meanwhile, I shake up the caper vinaigrette which uses dijon mustard and maple syrup to balance the briny little buds. The dressing is tossed with the roasted veggies as soon as they emerge from the oven and finished with a scattering of sesame seeds. It is a delicious side dish and I devour a large portion. In the future I would probably slice the onion into smaller portions as the wedges are rather unwieldy and I thought the parsnips could have benefited from a little bit more time in the oven (my fault, not Mr. O's) but overall delicious! And even better the next day, eaten cold from the fridge.