Roast carrots and parsnips

What vegetables to roast?

There's a simple reason why there is a selection of roasted vegetables as a staple on Christmas table: not much else is in season apart from root vegetables, leeks and cabbage. All year round we can cook whatever sides we fancy with our Sunday roasts but in mid-winter it's carrots and parsnips.

That is not to say we must limit ourselves to those two: by all means roast some turnips, sweet potatoes, squash and even beetroot. Beware of the latter though: it will try to throw crimson all over their immediate neighbours. They also take longer to cook so I don't usually use them in my roast selection.

How to season roast vegetables?

I find the simpler the better they are. Perhaps surprisingly, they benefit from being seasoned early in the day and stand, oiled, salted and what have you, marinating after a fashion.

In my recipe the only secret is the addition of harissa which gives it a subtle kick. The rest is the usual: herbs, a little sweetness and a little acidity.

But do add whole garlic cloves to the mix: they are gorgeous roasted in their skins to be messily squeezed out on your plate.

Can roast veg be prepped ahead?

The vegetables can certainly be prepared ahead which is always a bonus on Christmas Day. You can peel, cut and mixed them with the dressing to sit in the fridge even overnight, but do bring them back to room temperature before roasting and make sure to preheat the roasting tray before they go in.

Cooking them straight from the fridge, and that goes also for potatoes, might result in a disaster or at least wrecked timings.