Serves 6 | Cook 50 mins
4 tsp olive oil for cooking, plus more for the pan
2kg mixed root vegetables
1½ tsp fine sea salt
1½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Roasted roots
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and oil a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Trim and peel the root vegetables as needed; I usually leave the skin on potatoes (but brush them well) and young carrots. Cut the vegetables into sticks, about 2cm thick and 8cm long. Depending on the initial shape of the vegetables, you won’t get perfect sticks; just make the pieces uniform in thickness, so they’ll cook at the same rate.
3. Transfer to the baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt, cumin, cayenne and black
pepper. Flip and stir the vegetables until evenly coated. Spread the vegetables on the baking sheet so they’re more or less in a single layer; they shouldn’t be too crowded, or they will steam in their collective moisture and won’t roast properly.
4. Bake, flipping once or twice, until cooked through and appetisingly browned, about 40–50 minutes.
Serve immediately.