Leanne Spurling, of Sunny Acres Farm, enjoys cooking with what she grows. She shares this recipe, which has been adapted from “Still Life with Menu Cookbook” by Mollie Katzen.
Either leave vegetables whole or cut them into large chunks. If you are in a hurry, cut into 2-inch pieces; I do not peel them. Remove the seeds from the winter squashes. I sometimes cut the veggies into the appropriate sizes, so that they cook at approximately the same rate. For example, sweet potatoes cook more quickly than Irish potatoes, which cook more quickly than beets. The beets could be quartered, and the Irish potatoes could be cut in half.
Place all the veggies into a large bowl. Drizzle them with cooking oil, and sprinkle with approximately 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper per gallon of vegetables. Stir the veggies around with your hands, then rub each piece individually, the cut side as well as the peel side, to further distribute oil and seasonings.
Place veggies on a cookie sheet so that they are crowded, but not layered. Place quick-cooking vegetables such as green beans, kale, broccoli, or thin carrots, in the center of the cookie sheet and under some other veggies to protect them from overcooking.
If you are using sausage or brats, cut into bite-size pieces and sprinkle on top.
Place the cookie sheet into the oven and bake at 325 to 400 degrees until vegetables are fork-tender. Chopped veggies in a hot oven will take about 50 minutes.
Note: I love to simply scrub and rub whatever veggies we have on hand, and throw them in the oven so we can get back to work outside. I leave the veggies whole and/or in big pieces and set the oven low, around 325. Alternatively, if we are in a hurry to eat, I cut the veggies into 2-inch cubes and roast at 400 degrees. Recipe by Leanne Spurling, Sunny Acres Farm.
