Roasted Fall Vegetables with Balsamic Vinegar

4 pounds assorted root vegetables: turnips, celeriac, carrots, beets, winter squash whole shallots, onion wedges and thick leek slices

3 Tablespoons olive oil

A smattering of fresh or dried herbs (such as rosemary or thyme)

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub vegetables and cut off roots and tops. Cut into 2-inch pieces and toss with olive oil; by cutting denser, slower cooking vegetables into smaller pieces, everything comes out evenly cooked. Spread on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Add minced garlic and herbs. Stir and cook for 7 minutes more. Remove from oven. Toss with vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tom's note: I picked this recipe up from Rock Spring Farms at the Rochester Farmers Market (http://rochesterdowntownfarmersmarket.org/ and @rochfarmmkt on Twitter). The two vegetables I always use are beets and parsnips. In fact, I don't even make this recipe if I don't have parsnips. And I always go way past 30 minutes for roasting. Final comment: For most recipes, I use fresh herbs. For this one, I use dried Herbes de Provence, available at just about any grocery store. You can certainly make Herbes de Provence with fresh herbs, but by January or February the fresh stuff gets spendy. This is one case where the dried option holds its own and perhaps even excels because the dry flakes seem to hold up to the heat better.

Source: Rock Spring Farm • Spring Grove, MN (2003, www.rsfarm.com)

Submitted by Tom Burket