By Nargisse Benkabbou for New York Times Cooking
Roasting vegetables enhances their natural sweetness, creating a crispy exterior and a tender, melt-in-your-mouth interior. This flavorful dish is infused with the spice blend ras el hanout, a warm and aromatic spice blend from North Africa. See Recipe Tip or find the spice blend at our own Redwine Family Farm!
Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2 sweet potatoes (1 pound),
- 3 carrots (12 ounces)
- 2 parsnips (12 ounces)
- 1 large red onion
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ras el hanout (see Tip)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- Fine sea salt
- Fresh mint leaves, for garnishing
Preparation
Step 1 Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel then cut the potatoes, carrots and parsnips at an angle into 1- to 2-inch chunks. Peel then cut the onion into 1½-inch wedges.
Step 2 – In a large bowl, combine the oil, ras el hanout, garlic and ¾ teaspoon salt. Add the vegetables and toss until evenly coated with the oil and spices.
Step 3 – Spread the vegetables in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Avoid crowding the pan; if necessary, use two pans. Roast 50 to 60 minutes, until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside, stirring halfway through to ensure even roasting.
Step 4 – Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked veggies to a serving dish. Roughly chop the mint and sprinkle on top before serving.
Tip – If you’d like to make your own ras el hanout blend, stir together the following ingredients: 1 teaspoon each ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground cumin, ground cardamom and ground nutmeg, plus ½ teaspoon each ground aniseed (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground caraway seeds (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground fennel seeds (from about ½ teaspoon whole), ground cloves and ground black pepper. (Makes about 3 tablespoons ras el hanout.)
