For some reason, I was always concerned about roasting veggies in assortment — Won't the potatoes take longer to bake than the zucchini? And won't the sweet potatoes turn to mush while the carrots get tender? What if the bottoms burn? What if it all sticks? A mini leap of faith happened and in one bold move last November, when I rescued a bunch of potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, baby corns, whole baby onions and stray carrots from going bad in the fridge and dumped them all onto a sheet pan. Drizzled in olive oil, a bunch of spices and an onion tossed in there for good measure, the entire array of seemingly un-similar vegetables came together like magic. Perfectly tender yet retained in shape, and browned yet not burned, they roasted so perfectly I was in awe of myself.
I make a batch of this every few days, as it keeps quite well and works as an easy side or even on its own. Sweet potatoes and carrots and onions are my constant staple here, but I've used everything from cubed beets, fresh mushrooms, whole baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes while making this. A dieter's dream (and a dream for those with a sensitive stomach like yours truly), it's the easiest thing to make, forget about for half an hour, and then store for a few days as you finish it either cold or warmed alongside a protein or on its own. So basic, so pure, so easy, you'lll be buying all sorts of veggies just to toss them around your tray this way :).
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, skin on and washed
2 medium potatoes (or a bunch of baby potatoes) skin on and washed
2 medium carrots, peeled
2 medium zucchinis, skin on and washed
1 large onion, peeled
Hand-full of baby corns
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion or garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
sprinkle of ground black pepper
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 220.C
Chop sweet potatoes and potatoes into inch-sized cubes; slice carrots and zucchinis into half inch rounds; quarter the onion and slice each quarter into half. Throw your chopped veggies and whole baby corns onto a sheet pan (you can foil-line it, that's fine too).
Drizzle olive oil over the veggies, and sprinkle spices and salt over the top. With your hands, toss the veggies together, coating each in the oil and spices. Make sure they're evened out into a single layer over your baking sheet, then pop them into the oven.
Leave to bake about 20 minutes. Take them out and with a heat-proof spatula, toss them around the tray to make sure they're not stuck. Turn over anything you feel needs more browning, and pop the tray back into the oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
The veggies should be fork-tender, slightly browned by now. Leave an additional 5 or 10 minutes if you feel they're not tender enough.
Serve hot, or allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
