Baby Root Vegetables in Brown Butter

A weekend visit to our local farmer’s market inspired this happy accident. The bountiful selection of root vegetables in all sizes, shapes, and colors was just waiting to be popped into my sous vide water oven.

Prepared simply with butter, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and a few fresh herbs, the vegetables would be the perfect accompaniment to the pork roast marinating at home. I was amazed at the outcome. The veggies retained their natural sweetness and had terrific texture and flavor.

Of course you can use any combination of vegetables you like. Try them as a side dish for any meat or chicken entrée or just by themselves or with some couscous for a healthy vegetarian meal.

Serves 2 to 3; recipe easily doubles or triples

1. Preheat the water bath to 185°F (85°C).
2. Rinse the vegetables under running water to remove any dirt. You may have to peel the beets to remove excess dirt or fibrous roots. Trim the tops from the turnips, radishes, and beets. Trim all but 1 inch of the tops of the carrots. Trim the bottoms of the turnips, radishes, beets, and carrots. Peel the parsnip and quarter lengthwise, then halve the quarters crosswise. Peel the onion and, keeping the root attached to make handling easier, cut into 4 equal slices. Peel the garlic and slice each clove in half.
3. Divide the vegetables equally between 2 food bags. Cut 3 tablespoons of the butter into small pieces and divide between the 2 bags. Add the rosemary and thyme to the bags, season with salt and pepper, and vacuum seal.
4. Cook for 1 hour.
5. Pour the accumulated juices from the bags into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the liquid is reduced to a syrup, about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and, shaking the pan frequently, caramelize to a nice golden color, about 5 minutes. Pour the reduced juices over the vegetables and serve immediately.