miso maple caramelized root veggies

winter is upon us so now is a really good time to:
- queue up your festive movie watch-list (it’s love actually for me, solely, always.)
- light a few candles
- wrap yourself up in the thickest, snuggliest sweaters (socks and slippers are also highly encouraged here)
- tuck into warm, hearty, cozy recipes when ‘seasonal’ ingredients aren’t really a thing

it’s probably been stated no less than 2389483 times on this blog, but i live in minnesota where cooking seasonally is a neatl, fun idea in july and pretty laughable come november. potatoes and tough, starchy vegetables are all we really get to shine a light on through the winter, produce-wise, so i thought i’d pivot away from the typical rosemary-garlic-butter route, and do a miso paste-maple syrup-buttery route instead.

i love pivots! pivots are beautiful, unexpected re-routes that can, and in this case, end up being absolutely unreal. today we’re pivoting with miso paste, which is such a cool ingredient whose flavor can’t really be replicated with anything else; it’s salty, sour, full; and adds an amazing depth to sauces, soups, and rice dishes that is so unique (if you’ve ever eaten an insane bowl of ramen or couldn’t quite put your finger on an umami flavor profile, it might have been miso!)

piiiiiivot with me, now.

so as we pivot, i don’t mean to be an alarmist, but - STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND MAKE THESE RIGHT NOW. immediately if you can, or at least immediately make a plan to. the sticky-sweetness from the maple and butter paired with the umami from the miso practically make these candied - yes, candied!!! and i am not overreacting when i tell you i nearly wept after popping a crispy, broiled potato swished in miso maple butter into my mouth.

getting on board with making the world’s blandest vegetables (looking at you, potato friends!) very tasty and quite possibly thrilling? yes please, forever and ever, amen.

if you’re wondering what the heck to do with miso paste - because hey, i get it, it’s a little random and can be expensive - here are a couple other honey street recipes that spotlight miso! the good news is that it keeps in the fridge for such a long time, and i’m committed to using it more here, as well.

mango coconut miso salmon
golden coconut ginger chicken soup

miso maple caramelized root veggies
makes 4 servings
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 25 minutes

1 1/2lbs of root veggies, chopped in roughly the same thickness - I used 1lb of golden baby potatoes, a few large carrots, and several radishes. parsnips, turnips, red potatoes; really anything hearty, will work here
a drizzle of olive oil
big pinch of salt
big pinch of pepper
1 1/2tbsp miso paste
1 1/2tbsp ghee or butter (I happened to have salted ghee, so i used that!)
1 1/2tbsp maple syrup
sprinkling of flaky sea salt, optional

preheat the oven to 425.
toss the veggies in olive oil, salt, and pepper. arranged them on a parchment-lined baking sheet (you definitely don’t want to skip this. the miso maple sauce is going to caramelized and would be an actual nightmare to scrape off a pan.)

roast for 20ish minutes of until the veggies start to crisp. meanwhile, heat the miso, maple, and butter together in a saucepan; whisk just until it melts.

then, toss the miso maple sauce with the veggies, coating as much as you can. set the oven to broil on high, and place the veggies back in the oven to caramelize. ** watch them closely while they’re broiling! if broiling makes you nervous, just do this for a minute or so!

top the veggies with flaky sea salt, and dig in right away.