Maple Glazed Vegetables

Given enough time between the end of The Day Job and supper time, I would roast root vegetables and squash just about every day. I had been half-heartedly looking for something new and a bit different to do with my roasted veggies when I came across a recipe in Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson that included an intriguing glaze: a combination of maple syrup, garlic, olive oil, and spicy red pepper.

And, yow!, was this fabulous! Never mind that winter squash cubes are already sweet on their own, they’re wildly enhanced by this wonderfully flavorful glaze. I also happened to have some purple potatoes from the CSA, so I made my glazed vegetable roast with roughly equal parts squash and potatoes. You could use a variety of winter vegetables, but I do think that balancing some of the sweeter ones with something mild like potatoes would keep this less cloying. Something sharper like rutabaga might be good, too.

I was concerned about so much sugar in the glaze burning before the vegetables were cooked, so I started the vegetables with just salt, pepper, and olive oil at a higher temperature. I reduced the temperature after pouring on about ¾ of the glaze to cook the vegetables the rest of the way and give them a somewhat sticky, caramelized glaze. When all was done, I tossed the glazed vegetables with the rest of the glaze mixture to give them even more flavor.

Yes, the results here are sweet, but the somewhat exotic combination of maple and garlic is really quite lovely. The extra pop from some chile pepper makes it even more exciting (although you could leave it out if you don’t want the spice). The sort of caramel-y coating on the vegetables is taken to the savory side in just the right, if slightly unexpected, way.

This style of roasting a vegetable or two is really a winner, and I’m quite excited about it. I plan to vary the vegetables, and perhaps even add some complexity with other favorite flavors - I’m thinking soy sauce, rice vinegar, maybe something smoky. I’m almost happy that winter will be around for quite a while yet, so I have plenty of time to make and enjoy more servings of this delightful dish.

Maple Glazed Winter Squash and Potatoes

Based on a recipe in Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

You can use any winter squash here, such as butternut, buttercup, Hubbard, or Red Kuri. You also could use any kind of potato, or use different winter vegetables altogether, such as sweet potatoes and rutabaga.

4 cups peeled, cubed winter squash (about 1 pound of squash)

4 cups cubed potatoes (no need to peel if skins are well-scrubbed)

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon coarse salt, divided

A few grinds of black pepper

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/3 cup maple syrup

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the squash and potato cubes in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss together to coat the vegetables well.

2. Transfer the vegetables to a roasting pan or baking sheet. Roast at 400 F for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the garlic cloves. Sprinkle the remaining salt on top of the garlic on the cutting board. Continue chopping and scraping the salt and garlic together with the side of the knife to make a paste. (This method is described in this post.)

4. Transfer the garlic paste to a small bowl, scraping all of it up from the cutting board. Add the maple syrup, crushed red pepper flakes, and the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk together to combine well.

5. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. Pour about ¾ of the garlic-maple mixture over the squash and potatoes and stir well to coat. Continue to roast at 350 F, turning once or twice, for about 30-45 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender, and the coating is sticky and beginning to caramelize. If at any point the glaze seems to be burning, discontinue cooking.

6. Pour the remaining glaze mixture over the hot vegetables and stir to coat. Serve hot.

Makes about 6 side-dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Broccoli with Sweet and Spicy Almond Sauce, Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Winter Vegetables and Sausage (great with chickpeas in place of the sausage), Roasted Autumn Vegetable Salad with Molasses Mustard Vinaigrette