Sunday, March 15: Roasted Veggies
Days where I don’t really feel like cooking a big, involved meal — or if I’m just craving a pan of salty, crispy roasted veggies — I’ll take stock of what veggies I have in my fridge and pantry and do a big sheet tray bake with a few different dipping sauces. My favorite veggies to roast (and that, as a happy coincidence, also keep the longest) are Japanese sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips, so I usually have those on hand. I’ve also been really into roasted red cabbage lately — it gets so tender and sweet, and tastes especially good when tossed with a creamy, tangy mustard dressing. Today I also had some leftover jalapeno-cilantro sauce to use up (that I made for taco night), so I was happy to use it as a dip!
For the roasted root veggies:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. To a half sheet pan lined with parchment, add 1-2 Japanese sweet potatoes (scrubbed and chopped into 1-inch cubes), 3-4 carrots (peeled and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces, halved or quartered if very thick), and 3-4 parsnips (peeled and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces, woody core removed and halved if very thick). You want the veggies in one layer with enough space around them as possible — this makes sure they get roasty and crispy and don’t steam instead. You may need to spread out over several sheet pans. Drizzle veggies with a nice glug of olive oil and toss to coat, then sprinkle with a large pinch of kosher salt. Place in oven and roast for 15 minutes. Remove pan and flip the veggies over (I’m weirdly precise about this and flip each veggie over individually to make sure they get equally browned on each side; you can also just use a spatula to do a few quick tosses!), then roast for another 15 minutes. At this point they should be nice and golden brown, and easily pierced with a fork; if not, roast a few more minutes. (NOTE: I love Japanese sweet potatoes because I’ve found they get insanely crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, whereas it’s sometimes hard for me to get a normal orange sweet potato as crispy. Please try one if you haven’t yet!)
For the roasted cabbage:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut a red cabbage in half through the stem, remove core, then slice into ~1/2-inch strips. Place in a baking dish and toss with a glug of olive oil and pinch of kosher salt. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender and browned in spots, tossing after 15 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly.
Meanwhile, make dressing. (I’ve never once measured my ingredients when making dressing, so it’s VERY approximate. Taste and adjust as you go — you can always add more oil or salt or vinegar based on taste preferences.) Stir together a spoonful of mayo (I use a vegan mayo), a spoonful of smooth Dijon mustard, and a spoonful of whole grain Dijon mustard until combined (I’d say about 1 TB each, though more smooth than whole grain mustard). Add a pinch of kosher salt, some freshly ground pepper, and 1-2 TB apple cider vinegar (or to taste; white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar would also work). Stir until smooth. Add ~1/4 cup olive oil and stir or whisk vigorously until emulsified, creamy, and thickened (it might seem at first that it’s too oily, or it’s separating, or it will never come together — but just keep stirring and eventually it will transform into a creamy sauce). Taste and adjust — for example, add more salt or oil if it’s too tangy or acidic. Once cabbage is out of oven, drizzle with dressing (use half to start, then add more as needed) and toss until coated.