Tastes Like Food

This dish is a favorite during the holidays. It’s a great addition or alternative to the traditional potato dishes: mashed potatoes and candied sweet potatoes. You can easily make it larger or smaller by adjusting the quantities, just keep the ratios roughly the same for the right balance in the “sweetness” of the roots. Great fall hues of orange, dark red and creamy white.

Ingredients:

• 5 medium russet potatoes (about 2 lbs)
• 3 medium sweet potatoes* (about 1.5 lbs)
• 3 medium beets (about 1 lb)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel all the root vegetables using a regular vegetable peeler. Rinse and dice the roots into about 3/4″ size cubes. Let the veggies air-dry or pat dry with paper towels**.
2. Combine root veggies, olive oil, salt, pepper and finely chopped rosemary in a large bowl. Mix to coat.
3. Spread the root vegetables on no-stick cookie sheets. (You will probably need two.)
4. Bake in a 425° oven for 45 minutes. Flip veggies after they’ve cooked about 20 minutes.
5. Garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary if you like.

Serves 8-10 as a side dish.

Notes:
* Sweet Potatoes vs Yams: Sweet potatoes have reddish-brown skin, and are a bright orange color inside. Yams look more like regular white potatoes, with tannish brown skin and light gold insides. You could use yams instead of sweet potatoes, but the orange-ness of the sweet potato gives a more attractive presentation.
** Beets and sweet potatoes will stain cloth towels red and orange.