1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220ºC). Wash or peel the root vegetables, according to their type and your taste. Halve or quarter large potatoes. Cut large carrots or parsnips in half lengthwise, then cut the pieces across in half again. Cut sweet potato, turnip or kohlrabi into large chunks (about the same size as the potatoes). Leave shallots or pickling onions whole.
2. Place all the vegetables in a large saucepan and pour in enough boiling water to cover them. Bring the water back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5–7 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly cooked, but not yet tender.
3. Drain the vegetables and place them in a roasting pan. Brush the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with cracked black peppercorns. Add the herb sprigs to the pan and place the pan in the oven.
4. Roast for 30–35 minutes or until the vegetables are golden-brown, crisp and tender. Turn the vegetables over halfway through cooking time. Serve hot, garnished with extra sprigs of thyme or rosemary, if desired.

Roast root vegetables with herbs variations: If part of a complete roast meal, the vegetables can be roasted at the same time as a joint of meat or poultry. Allow 45 minutes at 400ºF (200ºC), or longer at a lower temperature, if necessary. • Baby new vegetables can also be roasted in this dish with delicious results. For example, try new potatoes, carrots and beets. • As well as root vegetables, baby squash and asparagus are also delicious roasted. Sprinkle them with herbs and a little balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.

preparation time 10 mins
cooking time 40 mins
serves 4

PER SERVING

241 calories
6 g protein
10 g total fat
1 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
32 g total carbohydrate
14 g sugars
6 g fibre
103 mg sodium

Combining different root vegetables instead of serving roast potatoes alone provides a good mix of flavours and nutrients, including vitamin C from the potatoes and beta carotene from the carrots. Turnips are part of the brassica family, which offer cancer-fighting phytochemicals.