Roasted Vegetables as a side dish or as a main course with added Sausages. Season with your choice of Herbs. Use a dominant herb like Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Savory, or a blend of Herbs. Toss the Vegetables in Fat & Oven Roast.
Other Vegetables can be added in at different stages of roasting so that everything comes out perfect. It’s a very good side dish to accompany a wide variety of main proteins and can be scaled up. Just be sure that all the Vegetables are spread out in an even layer, and are tossed often while roasting for even browning, and you’re good.
Roasted Vegetables Fat
Use a Light tasting Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Ghee or Rendered Fats, especially so where the Roasted Vegetable will be served with a main protein. Melted Bacon Grease or Beef Suet is also wonderful and can be poured over to mix the Vegetables with before placing into the oven.
Beef Suet
Melt the Beef in the roasting pan and then add in all the Vegetables to toss.
Bacon
You can cook Strips of Bacon in the oven until crisp, set it aside to chop and use the Bacon Fat to roast the Vegetables. Add the Bacon back into the Roasted Vegetables to toss before serving. If it doesn’t render enough fat for about 1/4 C top it up with another form of fat.
Roasted Vegetable Seasoning
The Salt & Pepper blend is the go-to seasoning that is added to the Vegetables before going into the oven, and used again if needed to season the Vegetables before serving.
The Roasted Vegetables themselves can be seasoned with a Dominant Herb like Thyme or Savory, as well as various Herb blends that can be used, such as Poultry Seasoning. Fresh Herbs can be added right before removing from the oven to toss through before resting and serving.
Salt & Pepper Blend
- 1 Tbl Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
Dominant Herb
Use a dominant Herb like Thyme. You could use other seasonings like Greek, Dill Weed, Roasted Garlic, Poultry Seasoning, or just use additional Herbs & Spices like Paprika, Rosemary, Savory.
Vegetables
Your typical Vegetables for roasting will include, Potatoes, Carrots, Celery, Onions, Garlic. Although, a whole host of other Vegetables can be added and at varying stages of the roasting so that they all come out tender. Other Vegetables may include Parsnips, Squash, Pumpkin, and Peppers.
Vegetable
- Carrots
- Celery
- Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes
- Garlic
- Onions
Roasted Vegetable Size
Typically cut to a uniform size of about 1 inch to ensure that they all cook evenly. Cut Vegetables that take longer to cook into smaller pieces to ensure everything finishes cooking through at the same time. Adjust the size based on personal preference. Below is typically the sizes I use.
Dice Potatoes at 1 inch or slightly larger or slice medium potatoes in half and quarter each half, Carrots at 1/4-1/2 inch, Celery at 1/2 inch or larger, Onions sliced in half and each half quartered or just quartered and whole or slightly crushed Garlic Cloves.
Roasted Vegetables with
There are a bunch of other Vegetables that can be added. Some of them will need to be added after the Initial roasting in order to achieve the best texture. Broccoli & Brussels Sprouts roast at about the same time. While Cabbage & Asparagus will roast at about the same time.
The below times are just a guideline and depends really on how firm or soft you prefer the Vegetables. Adjust to personal preference.
Broccoli
Chop into bite-size pieces. Add and toss well when 20–30 minutes of cooking time remain.
Brussels Sprouts
Trim the root just enough where all the leaves can still stay together, and slice Brussels sprouts in half. Add and toss well when 20–30 minutes of cooking time remain.
Cabbage
Chop or Tear Cabbage into bite size pieces and add 2% Salt to Cabbage weight and mix in really well. Leave this sit for a bit before, squeezing the juices out and adding to the roasting pan. This softens the Cabbage and creates a better cook, resulting in perfectly tender Cabbage. Add to the Roasting Pan and toss well when 15–20 minutes of cooking time remain.
Asparagus
Snap the woody ends off and chop into bite size pieces. Add to the Roasting Pan and toss well when 10–15 minutes of cooking time remain.
Sweet Potatoes
Peel and dice 1 inch or slice into 1 inch slices and then quarter. These can go in right at the start or later, depending on how firm or soft you like the Sweet Potatoes. I usually include these at the start.
Turnip
Turnip or Rutabaga can be sliced in half or quartered and then peeled and diced. Dice them about 1/2 inch or slightly smaller, since these are much denser and take longer to cook tender. Include them right at the start.
Roasted Vegetables & Sausages
Adding Sausages is a Fantastic way of turning this side dish into a main course or just to add some extra Protein while keeping it as a side dish. Either way, Sausages can contribute the protein, extra flavor and fat. Just cook alongside, turning over, or move them about as you mix the Vegetables once in a while.
Italian Sausages
For raw Sausages like Italian Sausages, cook them whole with the Roasted Vegetables either at the start or when 30 minutes of cook time remain and then chop to mix again throughout.
Chourico Sausages
Other precooked Sausages like Chourico can be torn and tossed with the Vegetables at any stage of the roasting process, depending on how well cooked you like them.
If using the Chourico Kebabs Meat, then throw the raw marinated Pork in with the Vegetables to cook through at the start.
Roasted Vegetables with Hot Dogs
You can also just add Hot Dogs about halfway through, or a bit less or more depending on how well you want the hot dogs done. Chop them to the desired size and add them in. The one below was made with Potatoes, Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic, and Red Bell Peppers. Beef Tallow was used for the Fat with Thyme, Salt & Pepper.
Draining excess fat from Roasted Vegetables
In some cases, you may have a bit too much Fat. This isn’t really a problem, since it can just be drained out before resting. Ideally, you’d like to be spot on with about 1/4 C of Fat per 2 lbs of Vegetables or there abouts.
I’ve only ever had to strain out excess Fat in a few cases where I was just guessing the amounts or adding in Sausages. If you find yourself needing to remove the excess fat, there are a few ways you can go about it.
- Push the Vegetables aside and pool the fat in the corner. Use a spoon to scoop out the fat.
- Use a Slotted Spoon to scoop the Vegetables out and strain out the excess fat. Return the Vegetables to the pan.
- Empty the Vegetables in a colander or strainer to drain out excess fat. Empty back into the tray to cool.
- Cover with a Lid and strain out excess fat while keeping the Vegetables within the pan.
Once the Vegetables are cooled enough to handle, adjust the seasoning before serving, if needed.
Roasted Vegetables Portion Size
The average serving size is about 1/2 lb or 227g, a bit less for a side dish, as a main course with added Sausages. This is an approximate amount and can vary based on the type of Vegetables used.
For every 2 lbs of Vegetables, use 1/4 C of Fat with 1 tsp of both the Salt & Pepper blend and 1 tsp or more of a dominant Herb or Seasoning. When making for a large crowd, the Roasted Vegetables can be portioned off into separate roasting pans as to not overcrowd a single pan.
Equipment
- 1 Roasting Tray
- 1 Small Bowl for the Salt & Pepper blend
Ingredients
- 1/4 C Fat - Use EVOO, Rendered Fat, Bacon Grease, or Ghee
- 1 tsp Thyme - or other choice Herb
- 1 tsp Salt & Pepper Blend - More or less based on taste
Vegetables
- 2 Med Potatoes - 1 inch or larger
- 2 Med Carrots - 1/4-1/2 inch
- 2 Stalks Celery - 1/2 inch or larger
- 1 Large Onion - Slice in half and then quarter each half
- 1 Head Garlic - Whole cloves or slightly crushed
Salt & Pepper Blend
- 1 Tbl Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F with the rack in middle position. Place all the prepared Vegetables into a roasting pan in an even layer with choice of Fat, Thyme, Salt & Pepper. Toss well.
- Place into oven for about 40 minutes, or until the Vegetables are tender to your liking. For the first 10 minutes, leave them and then every 5 or so minutes afterwards, give them a toss for even browning and to prevent burning.
- Remove and let cool for a few minutes. Fresh Herbs can be added to toss through and then set aside to cool a few minutes. If there is excess fat, drain this out when removing from the oven to rest. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed before serving.