Roasted Winter Vegetables Recipe

Roasted Vegetables

1. 1

   Preheat and prepare chestnuts

   Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Rinse the whole chestnuts and pat dry. Using a sharp paring knife, score an X across the flat side of each chestnut (this prevents bursting and makes peeling easier).

2. 2

   Roast chestnuts ahead (optional stovetop method)

   If you prefer to roast chestnuts separately for easier peeling: place scored chestnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, cut-side-up, and roast 20–25 minutes until shells peel back and interiors are tender. Remove from oven, wrap in a kitchen towel for 10 minutes to steam (this loosens skins), then peel outer shell and inner skin. Set peeled chestnuts aside. If you want them mixed in with vegetables, you can leave them unpeeled and roast with the vegetables (see next steps).

3. 3

   Prepare vegetables

   While chestnuts roast or after peeling, place butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and red onion in a large bowl. Add fresh thyme leaves stripped from stems and chopped rosemary.

4. 4

   Season vegetables

   Drizzle the vegetables with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle kosher salt and black pepper, and toss well to coat evenly. Spread vegetables in an even single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet (or two smaller sheets) leaving space so they roast rather than steam.

5. 5

   Add chestnuts to pan

   If you roasted and peeled chestnuts already, nestle the peeled chestnuts among the vegetables for the last 15 minutes of roasting. If you left chestnuts unpeeled, add the scored chestnuts to the pan at the beginning so they roast for the full 30–35 minutes; you will need to peel them after roasting (use towel method described earlier).

6. 6

   Roast

   Roast in the preheated oven 30–35 minutes, turning vegetables once halfway through, until vegetables are golden at the edges and tender when pierced with a fork. If you add peeled chestnuts only for the last phase, roast the vegetables 20 minutes first, add chestnuts, then roast another 12–15 minutes.

7. 7

   Finish and glaze

   Remove pans from the oven. If using, drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey) over the hot vegetables and toss gently to glaze. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle lemon zest over the vegetables for brightness.

8. 8

   Serve

   Transfer roasted winter vegetables with toasted chestnuts to a serving platter. Scatter any remaining thyme leaves on top and serve warm.