roasted carrots & parsnips with cumin & caraway

Just in case you are still hemming and hawing about your menu this week, here’s an incredibly easy side dish that also deploys great colors and great flavors, and can work for Thanksgivukkah, too. Start with carrots and parsnips that are on the svelter side—you don’t want those orange clubs I call “horse” carrots (but if you can only find fat parsnips, use them). Cut the veggies in either of two ways: by hand into matchsticks about 3-inches long by 1/4-inch wide (which takes about 10 minutes) or into coins in a food processor fitted with a 1/4-inch slicing disk (this takes about 2 minutes). Then bake till crispy and golden and let them snuggle up to the turkey or the brisket.

ingredients

2 pounds parsnips, peeled, trimmed, and cut into matchsticks or coins
2 pounds carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut into matchstick or coins
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine parsnips, carrots, olive oil, cumin, caraway, and salt. Grind several turns of the pepper mill over the veggies. Toss well with your hands then divide between the two baking sheets, spreading veggies into even layers. Roast, turning once with a spatula, until vegetables are tender when pierced and lightly caramelized in spots, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve, or keep warm in the turned-off oven for up to 1 hour more.