Roasted Root Veggies

Last night at class we did some roasted root veggies: rutabaga, celery root, carrot, parsnip, turnip. The visiting chef was Josh Watkins of the Driskill Hotel here in ATX. He did this really nice thing to finish the veggies. After they were all roasted he (or rather I since I made this recipe last night) took some lemons that were roasted and squeezed the juice all over the veggies. Then he finished it with melted duck fat. There were also some roasted tomatoes in the mix to help provide a little more liquid.

They were so good. There was not enough liquid in the mix to make it runny, just glossy.

rwj

Could you please post the recipe they provided for you? I love roasted root veggies and have two recipes I use often this time of year, but yours offers some new roots and a new twist. I still have not mastered what size to cut the different veggies. I always end up with some overdone.

You had me right up to the duck part.

I don't do duck or duck fat either, Stuart.

(Sorry to threadjack a bit, Robert)

Cynthia: One nice non-dead-birdie way to finish roasted root veggies is some butter and Austrian pumpkinseed oil. The Kuerbiskernoel gives a nice smoky, rich quality to root vegetables, and the butter adds its usual depth and creaminess.

The Other Stupid assures me that duck fat really does rule. But what does he know, he gets cats out of trees for a living.

Honestly, I just do it with oil of some sort; usually olive. This is fine with me as I like to (largely) stay away from animal fat where it is really not needed. This was just an interesting twist on a very common dish and it was really good.

The roasted lemons were more of a thrill for me than the duck fat.

Karen, I'll post the recipe this weekend. Right now I am out of fuel and need to hit the sack.

rwj

Hey Karen, sorry for the delay. Here is, basically, what we did with the root veggies:

Dice the following into 1/2" cubes (or half moons or quarter moons in the case of the parsnips and carrots):

Rutabagas
Celery Root
Turnips
Parsnips
Carrots
Shallots, sliced

Toss each one separately in EVOO and S&P. Roast each one on a sheet pan (separately) until they are tender and slightly caramelized.

Quarter some roma tomatoes and roast them until they are caramelized but not falling apart.

Cut a couple of lemons in half and roast them, cut side down, until they are nicely caramelized.

Toss all of the veggies and tomatoes in a bowl to mix. Squeeze the lemon juice all over.

If you want, toss about a tablespoon of hot duck fat into the bowl and mix well. You could also add more EVOO but it may not need it.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. Put the whole mess on a sheet pan and warm in the oven before serving.

It is a little bit of a pain in the ass to roast all of the veggies separately. You really don't have to do this. But if you do you will be able to roast them all the point of tenderness.

For the record, when I am at home I rarely do this step. I usually throw the whole mess together and roast it. Somehow it usually comes out fine.

I hope that all made sense.

rwj