As the summer winds down, we say goodbye to its bountiful produce. No more ripe tomatoes, sweet, corn, or crisp peas. Fortunately, the arrival of cooler weather marks the beginning of root vegetable season. Throughout fall and winter, you can find us cooking with potatoes, beets, turnips, radishes, and other delicious root vegetables. From sweet potato casserole to braised carrots, we've rounded up our favorite root vegetable recipes.
Sweet potatoes are one of our favorite fall foods. Thanksgiving isn't complete without a fluffy sweet potato casserole—for textural contrast, try topping it with a crisp pecan crumble. For a sweeter, richer alternative to French fries, sweet potato fries are the way to go. Both baking and frying can produce great results.
Vibrant, earthy beets are another cool-weather staple. They're especially good for roasting, which tenderizes them and brings out their sweetness. Try roasting them with other winter vegetables like Brussels sprouts and turnips, or serve them with a citrusy crème fraîche dressing to brighten them up.
Turnips and rutabagas, like many root vegetables, are available year-round, but we're most drawn to them in winter. Roasting turnips in a salt crust makes them buttery and tender—serve them with microgreens on a creamy bed of goat cheese. Roasted rutabagas are wonderful in a rustic green salad with flaky pieces of smoked trout.
Find all of these dishes and more in our collection of root vegetable recipes.
Salt-Roasted Turnips with Goat Cheese and Greens
Kobe Desramaults uses almost no spices at his Michelin-starred restaurant In de Wulf, located in an isolated corner of Belgium. Here he relies on salt roasting to make these turnips, served on a bed of creamy goat cheese, buttery and tender. Get the recipe for Salt-Roasted Turnips with Goat Cheese and Greens »
Brisket and Potato Kugel
This hearty meat and potato casserole is perfect for a nontraditional Passover main.
Oyster Club's Lobster
Sweet, tender pieces of lobster and beets are topped with a rich asparagus cream sauce in this recipe from Oyster Club in Mystic, Connecticut.
Dried Beet Powder
Chef Chris Shepherd of Underbelly in Houston uses beet powder, made from pulverized dried beets, to give his char siu chicken a distinctive pinkish hue that typically comes from chemically produced red food dye. Similarly, the ingredient can color everything from pickling liquid and aïoli to baked goods and frosting. “It adds an inherent sweetness,” says Shepherd, “but it’s not a strong flavor.”
Sweet and Sour Vegetables with Poached Egg
Ginger, lemongrass, and maple vinegar add a warm base note to this dish, which is packed with root vegetables, and topped with a crisp greens and a poached egg.
Beet and Ricotta Gnocchi with Wilted Beet Greens and Aged Balsamic
For this Piedmontese dish, a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar adds a tangy complexity.
Potatoes Roasted with Saffron
The pleasantly bitter and floral flavor of saffron adds a complex taste to these otherwise ordinary roasted potatoes. Get the recipe for Potatoes Roasted with Saffron »
Lentil and Beet Salad with Lavender-Mustard Vinaigrette
A honey-sweetened dressing of orange juice infused with lavender lends floral notes to a hearty lentil salad.
Roasted Parsnip Salad with Hazelnuts, Blue Cheese, and Wheat Beer Vinaigrette
Parsnips offer sweetness, while spicy hazelnuts and coarse pumpernickel crumbs add crunch to this modern salad. Get the recipe for Roasted Parsnip Salad with Hazelnuts, Blue Cheese, and Wheat Beer Vinaigrette »
Toast with Roasted Beet Dip, Smoked Salmon, and Watercress
Roasting beets and puréeing them with a little balsamic vinegar makes a sweet, earthy spread that’s a perfect base for slices of smoked salmon and peppery watercress.
Watermelon Radish, Ahi Tuna, and Snap Pea Salad
At Los Angeles’ Lemonade restaurant, crunchy radishes, snap peas, and medium-rare seared tuna are tossed in a ginger-soy dressing for a crisp and colorful entrée salad.
Norwegian Cod and Root Vegetable Chowder (Fiskesuppe)
When making this creamy fish stew, feel free to substitute mahimahi, salmon, scallops, or shrimp for the cod.
Old-Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes
Thinly sliced potatoes and onions are baked in a rich cream sauce in this classic crowd-pleaser. Get the recipe for Old-Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes »
Mashed Yams with Lime and Honey
Creamy baked yams mashed with butter, lime juice, and honey make an easy, bright autumn side dish.
Cumin-Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Toasted cumin seeds, mint, and lime juice intensify the sweetness of simple baked root vegetables. Get the recipe for Cumin-Roasted Carrots and Parsnips»
Lemon-and-Herb-Roasted Vegetables
Chopped whole lemon and spicy fresh ginger lend brightness to hearty roasted vegetables including sweet potatoes, acorn squash, and carrots.
Fish, Green Banana, and Root Vegetable Soup (Tapou)
Tender root vegetables and fried fish make this garlicky stew a satisfying meal.
Potato and Rutabaga Gratin
Earthy rutabagas and aged Gruyere add intrigue to a classic potato gratin. Get the recipe for Potato and Rutabaga Gratin »
Celery Root Rémoulade
This Parisian bistro staple salad of crisp, raw celery root tossed in a briny mustard aioli makes for a quick and elegant side dish.
Maple-Glazed Carrots
Braising carrots slowly in butter, rather than steaming or boiling them, brings out their natural sweetness. Maple syrup adds a delicate glaze and a rich flavor.
Fingerling Potatoes with Bacon
The secret to this simple dish is to use the best quality bacon available. Delicious and straightforward, you can whip this dish together quickly while keeping the oven available for other jobs.
Brigtsen's Scallops with Sweet Potato Puree and Onion Marmalade
Sweet potato puree and onion marmalade enhance the natural sweetness of scallops in this dish. Get the recipe for Brigtsen’s Scallops with Sweet Potato Puree and Onion Marmalade »
Sweet Potato Honey Fries with Curry-Honey Sauce
An aromatic combination of spices elevate the humble sweet potato oven fry to something truly special. Get the recipe for Sweet Potato Honey Fries with Curry-Honey Sauce »
Sweet Potato Fries
The pale yellow, thin-skinned sweet potato and the moister, orange-fleshed American “yam” (which is not really a yam, but another kind of sweet potato) both work well for these alternatives to conventional french fries.
Pomme Purée
Passing cooked potatoes through the fine holes of a potato ricer ensures a silky consistency for this ultrarich side. Get the recipe for Pomme Purée »
Carrots Vichy
In Acheson’s update on the French classic, he replaces sugar with maple syrup, subs in fresh herbs for dried ones, and adds chile for some heat. He also likes to stir the chopped carrot tops in at the end of cooking for added flavor.
Classic Carrot Cake
This version of the cake is a potluck and bake sale favorite; the addition of crushed pineapple helps to keep it sweet and moist. Get the recipe for Classic Carrot Cake »
Kohlrabi Potato Salad (Potatissallad med Kålrabbi och Dill)
Dill-and-new-potato salad is an iconic summer food in Sweden. In this version, sautéed kohlrabi, fresh dill, and boiled potatoes are warmed in melted butter to make a simple side dish that’s perfect for picnics and backyard barbecues.
Smoked Trout, Rutabaga, and Microgreen Salad
Mix flaky chunks of smoked trout and roasted golden rutabaga with your choice of microgreens to add a fresh hint of early spring to this rustic salad. Get the recipe for Smoked Trout, Rutabaga, and Microgreen Salad »
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