Let’s get to the root of the matter — you may be in the dark about this category of vegetables. Gnarly tubers deserve their day in the sun too. Some of these underground gems might be buried in obscurity, but their secrets are easily unearthed. Dig in for some delicious info on common root vegetables and what to do with them.
Sweet Potato – The lowly sweet potato has recently been raised to the kingly status of root vegetabledom by its ubiquity on chain restaurant menus in the form of sweet potato fries. Not to be confused with yams, they are different varieties entirely and come in some of the same colours. The orange ones are often referred to as sweet potatoes in North America. Test your knowledge with this handy quiz from the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission.
Delicious roasted (either whole with skins or peeled and cubed) with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt or as a substitute for mashed potatoes with some cinnamon, cayenne and smoked paprika sprinkled in. Try making scalloped sweet potatoes too.
Carrots – The reputation of raw carrot sticks has been seriously damaged by miserable crudité platters of dried out vegetables. But fresh farmer’s market carrots that in season are a true delight – the best time of the year is when you can pick up a bunch and eat them plain. For now, satisfy your carroty cravings by cutting them into sticks and roasting them with balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of honey (375° for about half an hour usually does the trick – line your pan with tin foil for easier cleanup).
Parsnips – The sad, pale cousin of the carrot, the best known preparation of the parsnip tends to be the famed parsnip mash of winter holiday occasions. But, like carrots, they can also be roasted in sticks or cubes. They have a starchy, sweet and slightly spicy taste to them — surprising considering their bland appearance. They are also one of the best vegetables to use when making stock (whether vegetable or meat-based) from scratch.
Jicama – Pronounced “hick-uh-muh,” this unattractive vegetable is strangely delicious like a cross between an apple and a potato — crunchy and mildly sweet. It is amazing julienned and served raw in slaws and salads or on tacos with other julienned vegetables like carrots and cucumbers. It can also be roasted, sautéed in stir fries and probably spiralized if you’re into that.
Beets – Can’t be beat! Peel, roast and eat them hot or cold, in salad or as a side dish. They are often spotted alongside goat cheese, arugula and walnuts. Also try golden beets — a lovely, non-hand-staining alternative.
Turnips – That weird half-white, half-purple-brown round thing that comes in the same shape as a beet. Peel it, cube it and roast it — it is surprisingly delicious. Like the parsnip’s portly cousin.
Celery Root (aka celeriac) – Potentially the gnarliest and ugliest vegetable out there. What it lacks in appearance it seriously makes up for in flavour, so much so that Yotam Ottolenghi, famed vegetable genius, featured a whole roasted celery root in his new high-end cookbook, NOPI. Here’s the recipe.