Roasting veggies...best practices

I love roasted veggies. Nowadays, people roast just about anything. Whether it's broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes or squashes, roasting brings out the sweetness of vegetables and perfects them for soups, salads or on their own. 

Today, I had radishes, purple potatoes and some leftover butternut squash. So that's what went into my mix. 

Roasted vegetable best practices...

• Preheat your oven to 400. 
• I spray or oil my pan...that's just me. Maybe with enough of an olive oil drizzle on your veggies, they won't stick. 
• Cut your veggies into roughly the same size or thickness, to allow for even cooking. 
• I always include something in the onion family because they sweeten and give the mix a great flavor. I have used garlic cloves, onions, radishes, and leeks. 
• I try to mix colors. Try orange yams or purple potatoes or red peppers or purple eggplant. 
• Think about a sprinkling of curry powder...it adds such a great flavor.
• I put everything to be roasted in a big bowl and mix before I add my drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. 
• Try to keep your veggies in a single layer to allow for caramelizing and avoid steam cooking.
• If you're doing a squash mix, consider adding an apple and a maple syrup drizzle.
• Turn veggies over on the cookie sheet (or whatever you're using) after about 20-30 minutes. If you're only roasting sliced radishes, you don't need as much time...turn after 6-7 minutes.
• You can roast for about 30-40 minutes (depending on how much you're cooking) and shut off the oven. They will continue to cook and soften. 

• Roasted veggie soup is so easy from here...put everything in a blender or use an immersion blender in a stock pot with enough veggie, chicken or beef stock and some cream to turn it into soup.

Do you roast vegetables? What are you favorite combinations?