Roasted Root Vegetables
Get a bunch of winter vegetables. I use potatoes, carrots, parsnips, shallots, onions, and garlic. Chop the carrots and parsnips into big chunks, leave the shallots whole, cut the onions in half. Get several sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary.
Preheat the oven to 450F. Put two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of good olive oil in a large roasting pan and put it in the oven until the butter is melted.
Parboil the potatoes in salted water for ten minutes or so. Drain and blot with paper towels, removing as much moisture as possible. Chop into quarters or eighths.
Throw the potatoes, vegetables, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper into the hot pan. Mix it all up so everything is coated in oil. Put it in the oven! Cook until everything is lovely and browned, shaking the pan occasionally. It will take 45 minutes or so. If they are cooked but not brown turn the broiler on for a couple of minutes.
Yum. Adapted from a Mark Bittman recipe. You can experiment with different temperatures and kinds of potatoes and play around until you find the way you like the best.
