roasting root veggies. how do i make them taste better?

winter is here. i dig root veggies..(<--hah. a pun!)

love them. carrots of all colors. beets. yes!

roasting them. am i cutting them first, and roasting..or whole and cutting after? i make them taste okay, but just recently had them at a restaurant and they were fantastic. i am flummoxed.. it was actually a colored carrot mix..with mixed beets. and the colors didnt wash over each other. i assumed they were roasted separately and mixed right at the end.

I like butter, salt, pepper, evoo, and thyme. could als sprinkle a little cumin.

I cube them before roasting, and vary the size so that the different veggies get done about the same time.

High heat, like 450+.

The smaller the pieces, the higher you can go without burning due to a shorter cooking time.

My favorite way is with olive oil, thyme, and garlic salt ( typically lawrys).

i like a mixture of beets, carrots, parsnip and turnip but any roots will work just fine.

i have found that a convection oven produces the best product, however a regular oven will turn them out just fine. Usually around 425 will do nicely to roast them without burning. In the convection i roast around 375 but it only takes half the time.

Fresh herbs is where its at, and you have to get them nice and crisp, the mailliard effect essentially

nothing like some buttery carrots too

Part-boil them first as this helps make sure they are cooked through, let them cool down, then roast aggressively. Finish the last two minutes by brushing on a touch of oyster sauce. Can get funky and add spices or honey or other glaze.

i go for the long slow roast... i roast the crap out of them, until they are tiny little sweet versions of what they once were. A little salt, pepper, and olive oil go a long way, as do some well placed herbs. High heat works fine too, but i still like to cook the crap out of them. Sometimes this requires that i wrap or cover them FWIW. I usually leave them whole and sometimes even unpeeled when roasting like that... just clean well if you do so.

Is it possible that some or all of the difference in taste between what you prepared and what you enjoyed in the restaurant can be explained by a difference in quality of the raw vegetables used -- theirs perhaps being much fresher (did you buy yours in a grocery store, or in a farmer's market where the seller had picked them not more than a day before?) and with a higher sugar content, sweeter variety?

agree with the above statements, add to roast on parchment in a dark bottomed pan. I like a low lipped debyuer roasting pan. Also, preheat the pan with the oven.

Quality salt it's important as well.

larrybard said:

Is it possible that some or all of the difference in taste between what you prepared and what you enjoyed in the restaurant can be explained by a difference in quality of the raw vegetables used -- theirs perhaps being much fresher (did you buy yours in a grocery store, or in a farmer's market where the seller had picked them not more than a day before?) and with a higher sugar content, sweeter variety?

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Quality certainly matters, but we can get the same products that chefs use out here. I've seen differences between fresher vs. older, which I attribute to the difference in moisture content (more in the fresher vegetables). The older veg got dessicated.

For me lately I like using basil or dill oil (herb+olive oil blitzed together) a little bit of honey then just some salt and pepper roasting them like Jon nice and slow till little caramelized goodies.

JBroida said:

i go for the long slow roast... i roast the crap out of them, until they are tiny little sweet versions of what they once were. A little salt, pepper, and olive oil go a long way, as do some well placed herbs. High heat works fine too, but i still like to cook the crap out of them. Sometimes this requires that i wrap or cover them FWIW. I usually leave them whole and sometimes even unpeeled when roasting like that... just clean well if you do so.

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This.

Only with duck fat.

i use duck fat too... and lard... and the fat i render from NY steak fat caps Its all good

I learned a technique from America's Test Kitchen years back that involves making large wedges of broccoli (or cauliflower) and I like it a lot. The wedges increase the surface area and you toss the broccoli with olive oil, salt, sugar, pepper (and other stuff if you want), heat the oven to 500 with the pan inside, and then put the wedges on the hot pan. The high heat and small amount of sugar really get a good caramelization on it. I then flip them when they are browned to brown them on both sides and pull out smaller ones so they don't overcook -- or sometimes I really char them. It depends upon how the broccoli cuts up. Just don't crowed the pan as that steaming action will slow things down.

Here is the recipe from ATK.

k.

Published January 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted a roasted broccoli recipe to add concentrated flavor and
dappled browning to broccoli. We were able to get one by cutting the
broccoli to maximize contact with the baking sheet. Slicing the crown
in half and cutting each half into uniform wedges while cutting the
stalks into rectangular pieces slightly smaller than the more delicate
wedges promoted even cooking and browning, making for a perfect
roasted broccoli recipe. (less)

SERVES 4
Trim away the outer peel from the broccoli stalk, otherwise it will
turn tough when cooked. For Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, stir 1
tablespoon minced garlic into the olive oil before drizzling it over
the broccoli.
INGREDIENTS
1large head broccoli (about 1 3/4 pounds)
3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2teaspoon table salt
1/2teaspoon sugar
Ground black pepper
Lemon wedges for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place large rimmed baking
sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut broccoli at juncture
of florets and stems; remove outer peel from stalk. Cut stalk into 2-
to 3-inch lengths and each length into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Cut
crowns into 4 wedges if 3-4 inches in diameter or 6 wedges if 4-5
inches in diameter. Place broccoli in large bowl; drizzle with oil and
toss well until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt, sugar, and pepper
to taste and toss to combine.
2. Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully transfer
broccoli to baking sheet and spread into even layer, placing flat
sides down. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until stalks are
well browned and tender and florets are lightly browned, 9 to 11
minutes. Transfer to serving dish and serve immediately with lemon
wedges.
RECIPE TESTING

FLAVOR BOOST FOR BROCCOLI
Tossing the broccoli with a little sugar before roasting helps it
brown more evenly and taste even better.

Duck fat vs oil.

I like a combo of potatoes, sweets and parsnips - very compatible. Beets are great too (all colors), but lack the starch to create a good fond.

Toss with duck fat, salt, thyme. Like meats, avoid the temptation to take out of the oven and stir or toss. They will stick at first, but with enough time develop an awesome crust; then turn and roast some more.

i like to brown my meat in a stainless pan, then deglaze by adding butter and olive oil and sauteing a sweet onion and some garlic. once all the brown bits have come loose from the pan transfer the onion and garlic to the roaster with the other veg and season with salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary and parsley.

My secret is the cast iron skillet. Transfers heat well and retains a massive amount of heat. Baking trays don't do it for me.

cast iron is indeed the bomb

Flash boil
Flash fry
Roast at 400, with smashed garlic, herbs, salt, and cracked peppercorns previously soaked in evoo

Anton said:

Flash boil
Flash fry
Roast at 400, with smashed garlic, herbs, salt, and cracked peppercorns previously soaked in evoo

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Damn! That sounds just crazy enough to try.

hoangkiena3332014 said:

uppp cho bác nhi&#7873;u view nha

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Bless you.

I always add some balsamic vinegar to the veggies. It gives them just that extra tang of sweetness and sourness.

3 times cooked is the way to get, gets em crisp as heck,

it tastes better if you use a wedgie monster to cut them like a new takeda.

gman said:

cast iron is indeed the bomb

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concur on this.
I also hold off on the salt and pepper until it comes out of the heat and think that farmers market (or straight from the garden) matters much.

Sous vide is the secret for roast vegetables. Searzall first, then into a bag with spice, salt and butter, then into the water.

i prefer traditionally slow roasted veggies... like this:
View attachment 25597

Those don't look like root vegetables, Jon. Squash are surface vegetables.