There’s something so comforting about roasted veg. While it’s generally a winter dish due to the seasonality of the vegetables, these days supermarkets give you the options all year round. Obviously, in terms of being environmentally friendly, it’s better to use seasonal veg for this dish.

In Hong Kong it can be really difficult to get vegetables that aren’t all individually wrapped in plastic. There’s this crazy notion that everything has to be protected from the outside atmosphere, despite having their own natural protection. There are some farmers markets around, but not many, and the local markets can be good too. However, I have recently discovered a vegetable shop on Honest Bee, called A-Tao’s. Their veggies and fruit are organic, although no always local, and they are fairly decent prices too. What sold me though was, when I ordered the veggies for my Good Woman’s soup and for this dish, none of the vegetables were individually wrapped in plastic. Every vegetable was “naked” and had been picked to match the weight of carrots, leeks and potatoes that I had wanted. Yes, it did come in a disposable plastic bag upon delivery, but given that I use those plastic bags over and over again, as well as the fact that I can donate them to ImpactHK for their plastic mattresses, I’m okay with one bag of plastic versus eight rolls of cling film.

The beauty of this dish is that you can use whatever vegetables you have to hand, and can spice or season it in any way. I’ve used harissa and a splash of balsamic, with some bacon. But you could use sherry vinegar and pomegranate, or paprika and butter. The choice is yours.

I also now know that I need to work on the presentation of roasted veggie dishes. The photos do not make it look as good as it tastes. I promise.

If you do make too much for yourself, and want a change of pace… turn it into bubble and squeak. Easy as.

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 butternut squash or pumpkin, deseeded, peeled and cubed
250g Brussels sprouts, dirty outer leaves removed, then halved
4 large purple carrots, peeled and cubed
8 rashers back bacon, trimmed of most fat and cut into squares
Olive oil
2 tablespoons Harissa spice mix
Balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Add all vegetables to a roasting tin (I lined mine with reusable tin foil). Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the harissa spice over the vegetables.
3. Make sure all of the vegetables are coated by either using a spoon or your hands.
4. Put the roasting tin in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Add the bacon to the roasting tin and return to the oven for another 20 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are soft.
6. While the vegetables still warm, drizzle with balsamic vinegar to taste.
7. Serve on it’s own, or as an accompaniment to a main dish.