Roots at 500 Degrees

I will be the first to admit: It's probably not the smartest thing to use a recipe in the summer that requires heating your oven to 500 degrees.

But if you're looking for a different side dish than the norm, it still may be worth it. Roots at 500 Degrees is just such a dish. It is from "A Taste of Tradition," a collection of recipes compiled by the Stafford Oktoberfest Committee in 1996. That cookbook has special significance for me because Randy's mom was the chief editor on the project.

The recipe includes a variety of root vegetables - regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots and fresh beets. The hardest part is chopping up the veggies. Sweet potatoes are so hard and dense that it takes some oomph to get through them. The beets are prone to stain your cutting board.

But the finished product is worth the chopping, staining and the 500-degree temperature in your kitchen. Today is supposed to be a little cooler here in Kansas. It's not that you will need to heat up your kitchen to 500 degrees to cope with the cooler temperatures, but today might be the best day this week to try this tasty sidedish.

Roots at 500 Degrees

1 large russet potato, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup baby carrots
1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 lb. fresh beets, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tbsp. olive oil
Salt & pepper
Fresh parsley (opt.)

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Pour olive oil into large, flat roasting pan; place in oven just long enough to heat oil. Add russet potato, onion and carrots; stir to coat with oil. Roast 15 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and beets. Continue roasting 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. When vegetables are tender; remove. Season with salt and pepper. Top with chopped parsley, if desired.

In this meal, I served the Roots with a ham steak and a fresh fruit salad. But Roots can accompany steak or chicken just as well.

Enjoy!