Fall cooking with a touch of garden herbs

It's that time of year again - the leaves are falling and root vegetables are the highlight of the farmer's market. We had a lot of yummy herbs in the garden this fall (think oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme... is anybody going to Scarborough Fair?) so we decided to pull some together and put them in a seasonal Roasted Root Vegetable dish. A hit at the 61 Franklin St. Garden fall potluck, this dish is easy, yummy, and seasonally fresh. Below is a version of the dish for a taste of how you can enjoy the garden's fresh herbs, too!

Roasted Root Vegetables: serves approx. 8 people, good as a side dish
3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
4 carrots, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, and then cut into chunks
1 large loose red beet, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 large sweet onion, cut into rings
(add any other root vegetable you like!)

handfuls of oregano, thyme, ground black pepper, parsley, sage
(You can do this in sprigs, or cut some very finely and sprinkle over)

Toss all with olive oil, cover with tin foil (poke some holes in the top to let the heat out or the veggies might cook too quickly!) and then put in the oven at about 400 degrees until vegetables are soft and cooked through.

Enjoy them this way, or add a sauce to add over the vegetables. This works particularly well when eaten with a wild or yellow rice.

Bake vegetable with herbs the same way.
3 way equal parts: Orange juice, white wine, vegetable (or chicken stock)
pour over vegetables in 13x9 pan until vegetables are almost covered by liquid.
Put in oven and cook the same way, until vegetables are soft.
Pour excess liquid into a pot, and simmer, adding herbs or more liquid if necessary for taste. If you want a thicker sauce, stir some cornstarch with water and add the mixture to the sauce in pot.

When it has the consistency you like, pour it over the vegetables (and rice) and enjoy!