Roasted Root Veg in 15 Minutes?
Root vegetables taste great when they are roasted in the oven, but with a microwave and frying pan you can get that same toasty taste in a fraction of the time.
It is fall. The nights are getting longer and the days are getting colder - but fall need not be a time to lament the retreat of summer’s warmth, because fall is the time when roasted root vegetables go on the menu! The catch with roasted root vegetables is that they take almost an hour to cook. This works out great if they are in the oven with other things, but sometimes we need that side dish quickly. By using the microwave and frying pan it’s easy to make that happen for most root vegetables that are enhanced by roasting. Here’s how to do it:
Base Ingredients:
Enough root vegetables to cover a dinner plate when cut up
Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt (or more or less depending on your taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (or more or less depending on your taste)
Directions
Take a dinner plate (standard 25-30cm (11”-12” plate) and rub a tiny amount of oil (1/2 tsp) all over its surface.
Clean and cut root vegetables in pieces that are about 2.5cm cubes (1 square inch) in volume, but oblong in shape. I shoot for something about the size of my thumb - but I have big thumbs. For carrots and parsnips, cut on a bias (diagonal cuts).
Arrange root vegetables on the plate. Make sure there are enough pieces to cover the entire plate. Cover with paper towel. Place in microwave, and cook for about 6 minutes. Check for tenderness and cook for an additional minute if they are not slightly soft. Repeat until root vegetables are slightly soft.
While microwaving vegetables, heat 30cm (12”) fry pan to medium heat or slightly higher than that. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Add any spices or garlic or onion, or other flavors (see below for variations) just before adding root vegetables (if you add them too early they will burn).
Remove root vegetables from microwave and place them on a towel for a couple seconds to remove any moisture.
Add root vegetables to pan, apply salt, and toss ingredients around in pan until they are browned (takes about 5 minutes), then serve!
Recommended variations:
Parsnips: garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Potatoes: Same as above, or with an alternate herb, or just with garlic salt and pepper, or for “Greek style” brown, use salt and pepper, brown, then added oregano and squeeze on a lemon wedge before serving.
Carrots: Sauté with butter and add some cinnamon and honey.
Why this works
The microwave cooks the root vegetable quickly, while simultaneously forcing some of the water out of the root vegetable by virtue of how microwaves boil the water that is inside food. As a result, the root vegetables brown quickly and easily in the pan, and they will also absorb whatever flavors have been imparted into the oil from whatever garlic/onions/herbs/spices have been added to the pan.
Why roasted vegetables taste so good
A seared steak. A perfectly goldened marshmallows. A humble piece of toast. Why are these golden treats so tasty? Well, as with most culinary mysteries, the answer is a matter of science. The phenomenon at play is called the “Maillard reaction”, first described by French chemist Louis Camille Maillard. The chemical explanation for why roasting, toasting and browning things add so much flavor is quite complex - but one need not be a chemist to put it to good use. In short, browning is the result of a chemical reaction (aka the Maillard reaction) that results in new, complex smells and flavors, that we humans find delicious. Roasted vegetables taste amazing because they get golden brown in the oven. By cooking them in the microwave, and then sautéing them in a pan, the Maillard reaction occurs much faster.
Harvest after a frost
When the days shorten and the first frosts start to happen, many root vegetables (e.g. carrots, parsnips, beets, sunchokes) change their chemical composition in a way that increases their sugar content. Potatoes are an exception to this rule, and should come out of the ground before the first frost or they may become damaged, but for most other root vegetables the frost improves their flavor a lot. Sometimes I leave my parsnips in for so long that I need a pickaxe to get them out of the ground, but the taste is amazing - so there is no penalty for my procrastination!
Final thoughts
I love oven roasted vegetables, but some days I just don’t have the time to wait 45 minutes or longer for that to happen in the oven; or I don’t think it makes sense to run the oven to just cook one thing because it’s a waste of electricity; or the house is really hot and I don’t want to make it hotter by running the oven. Regardless of the rationalization, if you like roasted root vegetables, this is a quick way to make them happen, and with some of the alternative variations that I suggest above, you can infuse them with fantastic flavors that your friends and family will love.
FREE SHIPPING FROM VESEYS SEEDS!
Use my coupon code “GAVS22” to get free shipping from Veseys Seeds. At least one pack of seeds must be included in the order. Free shipping is not applicable on surcharges on larger items. Promo code is valid from December 1, 2021 until November 30, 2022.
Here’s a video where I prepare parsnips using the method explain above: