Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

Ingredients

• 2 lbs parsnips, peeled
• 1 lb carrots, peeled
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp minced fresh dill or parsley

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C. The high-heat-cooking is non-negotiable here — you want aggressive caramelisation on the exterior, which requires a hot oven and direct contact with a preheated tray. If the pan isn't hot before the vegetables hit it, you'll steam them instead.

Prepare the root-vegetables by cutting them into batons roughly 7–8 cm long and 1 cm thick. Parsnips and carrots cook at different rates — parsnips are denser and sweeter, carrots more watery — so cutting them to the same size ensures they finish together. Discard any woody or grey cores from the parsnips; they're bitter. Toss with 45 ml olive oil, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and a grinding of black pepper. The oil is your heat conductor and the salt seasons throughout, not just on the surface.

Spread in a single layer on a preheated baking tray — crowding the pan creates steam. Roast for 30–40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or so. Watch for the flat sides to take on a deep golden-brown colour, particularly where they contact the metal. This is roasting proper: the vegetable-preparation is done, and now you're building flavour through the Maillard reaction. The parsnips will turn mahogany; the carrots, a burnished orange. Once a fork pierces the thickest part with no resistance and the exterior has caramelised unevenly (some dark edges, some lighter spots), they're done.

Finish immediately with 1 tablespoon of fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley, chopped coarse. The heat from the vegetables will wilt it slightly and release the oils. A squeeze of lemon works here too — the acid cuts through the natural sugars and anchors the dish. Serve straightaway while the batons still have some structure. Cooling causes them to soften into a dull mass.