Roasted Root Vegetables with Bacon Up/Cider Vinaigrette
Servings: 6
Equipment
- Two roasting pans
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup Bacon Up® Bacon Grease
- 3 Tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- black pepper to taste freshly grated
- 4 carrots, medium peeled, sliced lengthwise into 1 to 2 inch long pieces
- 4 sweet potatoes, medium sliced lengthwise into 1 to 2 inch long pieces
- 4 parsnips, medium peeled, sliced lengthwise into 1 to 2 inch longpieces, any tough woody core removed
- 1 red onion, large thickly sliced
- 3/4 tsp thyme, dry or fresh
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large bowl (enough room for all the vegetables) mix together the cider vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Add the vegetables to the bowl and toss to combine.
- Line two large roasting pans or sturdy rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil. Spread the root vegetables out over the pans in a single layer, with some space in between so that the vegetables don't crowd each other too much and the hot oven air can circulate around the vegetables. (You'll get better browning that way.) Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the root vegetables in the pans.
- Place vegetables in the oven and roast at 450°F for 35 to 40 minutes, turning the pans (and swapping bottom and top rack positions), half-way through the cooking. Cook until the vegetables are well browned and caramelized around the edges.
- Remove from oven and gently loosen the root vegetables from the foil with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with thyme. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
If your root vegetables are competing with a roast for the oven for a holiday meal, just make them ahead, and put them in the oven to warm them up again while the roast rests before serving.
We are using parsnips, carrots, and sweet potatoes for this recipe, but you could use any of your favorite root vegetables. This recipe makes enough for 6 to 8 people and requires two roasting pans. You can easily cut the recipe in half.