Garlic and Thyme Roasted Spring Vegetables

Spring's first root vegetables are incomparably fresh and sweet. Roasted and caramelized with their own sugars to chewy perfection, root vegetables with garlic and thyme makes a beautiful side dish that can easily accompany any main you have in mind. In particular, it beautifully complements other roasted preparations like roast beef, chicken, or turkey. Easy to make, this recipe takes a few minutes of preparation and just 40 minutes in the oven, time that you can invest in other dishes that you might be serving. A simple seasoning of olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper coats potatoes, carrots, and parsnips to slightly infuse them with flavor and earthy fragrances from the fresh thyme and aromatic fresh garlic cloves. Serve hot or warm, and enjoy nature's best offerings enhanced with a simple seasoning.

For this recipe, we recommend little potatoes like fingerlings or new potatoes, a type of potato that has been harvested before it grows to its fullest size. If you don't have baby potatoes at hand, simply use big potatoes and cut them into smaller chunks. Sweet potatoes are a great replacement, too, if you're serving game meat such as venison, pheasant, or rabbit. If you want to add a pungent touch, use quartered red onions and leave a few garlic cloves whole—they will get soft and creamy and many guests might enjoy this flavor smeared on top of their meats. On the other hand, this is a vegetarian and vegan dish that's naturally gluten-free. If you want to make this dish a vegetarian or vegan main, serve it with baked tofu or tempeh, or add a creamy nut-based sauce on top plus a side of legumes.

Although our recipe combines just three root vegetables, the technique works well for all other root vegetables and squashes. And to get perfect roasted vegetables every time, keep in mind a few key tips. The first thing to take into consideration is the temperature of your oven; low and slow heat is great when you want to soften vegetables to then make a pureé or a soup, while high heat is what you want to make perfectly cooked veggies that are also crispy outside. Turn the pan once halfway to ensure even heat all over, because there's nothing worse than a soggy carrot or a watery potato. Secondly, all the vegetables need to be cut into similarly-sized chunks to ensure even cooking time. Thirdly, make an even layer, and if needed, use two baking sheets instead of squeezing too many veggie chunks in one. Finally, use enough moisture and oil to ensure the vegetables are coated, but not too much—mix all the veggies with the seasonings and oil in a bowl and transfer to the pan instead of adding the liquid directly to the pan.