Best Roast Veggie Tips & Tricks

Roast veggies are a classic - you can't really go wrong… but, as with many things in life, there are tactics to really get the most out of your roast.

Sure, if you're hard pressed for time (and energy), roughly chopping those root veggies and slamming them in a hot oven for up to an hour will get you a meal. But why settle for average, when you can create a mouthwatering, succulent, toothsome dish that will have your dinner party guests hurrying back?!

These little tips and tricks don't add too much time or any excessive ingredients, making them well worth employing!

Separate high and low-moisture veggies.

Have you tossed eggplant in with your roast potatoes, only to discover a rather unappealing goop as the eggplant spreads it's wings and covers its roasting neighbours?

Never fun…!

Keeping starchy veggies separate not only avoids this conundrum, it means you can adjust the roasting temperature: vegetables with a high moisture content do better with higher heat to rapidly caramelise and seal in the moisture (about 240⁰C).

For the classic root veggies like potato, carrot, parsnip and beetroot, roasting for a longer period of time at a more moderate temperature (we're talking about 200⁰C) will yield a more delicious, slightly sweeter and wonderfully tender result.

Size matters.

Chop your veggies into large chunks of similar size - you don't want some cooking faster than others.

Keeping the chunks large means they'll take a bit longer to cook, allowing enough time to caramelise beautifully. Also, as they cook, the veggies will shrink and probably end up about ¾ of the original size… and nobody wants pea-sized roast veggies!!

Don't overfill the tray.

If you're roasting for many people, you're better off doing another tray, rather than overfilling one. Without sufficient space, the veggies will steam, rather than roast and char, which while still delicious, isn't the point of roasting!

Know your veggies.

If you're a fan of roast onion (we certainly are!!), it's important to be aware that it takes far less time to cook… so, for the best results, separating onion from the other root veggies and only popping it in the oven for the last half hour of roasting is ideal.

Roasting garlic.

If you've had it, you'll know how incredibly delicious roast garlic is! Roast the cloves whole with the skin on, but be sure to smash them (if they're minced, you'll just end up with lots of little bitter burnt bits throughout your veggies).

Smashing essentially means flattening the cloves with the side of your knife so they burst open, but stay intact, infusing the veggies with that glorious garlic tang!

Herbs.

They're critical for added depth of flavour… but only if they're done right! Woody herbs like sage, thyme and rosemary are great for tossing in with the veggies for the duration of roasting.

Things are different for our more delicate herbs like oregano, chives, basil and marjoram, which can't withstand the heat (they'll wilt and lose their flavour); only add these herbs after the cooking is complete to obtain the best results.