Roasty-Toasty Poatoes, Carrots, & Onions

 Serves 4 to 6

Almost always on our side-vegetable plates during our Dairy Hollow dinners, these were our single most requested vegetable recipe at the inn. The potatoes have something of the slightly crisped, caramelized flavor-drenched browning of the little potatoes you may remember being baked nestled in alongside roast beef --- except, of course, they're vegetarian. They taste elemental, primitive, satisfying and like the essence of themselves. Like our Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk Cornbread, I've eaten them hundreds of times over the years, but never fail to be satisfied with them. The carrots should look fairly dark in spots and a bit shriveled by the end of the baking time; unprepossessing, true, but wait'll you taste them.

The only trick is to roasty-toasties is to allow them air-space, essential so they do indeed achieve roastiness. This means you use a pan that is large enough so the vegetables don't lie on top of each other, but not too deep. A deep pan or pans will throw the water evaporating off the vegetables back down onto them, preventing the all-important shrivel-y roastiness.

Make this once and it will become a regular part of your life.

water, preferably filtered or spring

2 pounds boiling or all-purpose potatoes (about 8 small but not tiny potatoes), scrubbed, eyes removed

1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), washed and scrubbed, unpeeled, stem end left on

2 large onions, quartered, peel left on

1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil, such as corn, peanut, or canola oil

1 to 2 tablespoons tamari or shoyu soy sauce, plus additional to taste

1.      Preheat oven to 375. Bring 2 large pots of water to a boil. Oil or spray with Pam cooking spray a baking dish, or dishes --- you need baking space large enough to accommodate all the vegetables so they're not lying on top of each other.

2.      Drop the potatoes into one pot of boiling water and blanch for about 6 to 8 minutes, then drain well, running cold water over potatoes. Repeat with the carrots in the second pot of water, allowing 4 minutes blanching time for long, skinny carrots; 5 to 6 for fatter carrots. Drain well.
 

3.      Halve or quarter the potatoes. Place the potatoes and carrots in the prepared baking dish with the onion quarters (raw, skin still on). Toss the vegetables with oil, rubbing it into the vegetables a bit with your hands. Let bake about half an hour, then drizzle with the tamari / shoyu and toss again (yes, of course using an implement this time, silly --- or just shake the pan with pot-holdered hands).

4.       Let bake until potatoes and carrots are soft --- you should be able to pierce them easily with a fork at their thickest point --- and quite browned here and there, especially on the edge that has touched the pan. This will take about 45 to 55 minutes total. 

5. Serve, at once, hot... but these agreeable vegetables also don't mind staying in a warm place for 30 minutes or so if need be --- even an hour --- before serving.

Variations: These do not really need to be baked at 375. You could bake them at 350 for an hour, 325 for an hour and a half --- and you'd still get good roasty-toasties. So bear in mind whatever else you have going in the oven, at what temps, and how much last-minute oven space you'll need.