Creamy Roasted-Root Salad

A harmony of sweet and savory roasted vegetables decked in a creamy herb dressing is as delicious warm as it is chilled.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 12 cups

Ingredients

• 2  large beets
• 1  large russet potato
• 2  large  red potatoes
• 2  large parsnips
• 1  small red onion
• 6  garlic cloves
• 2  tablespoons dried oregano
• 6  tablespoons  virgin olive oil
• 6  teaspoons  balsamic vinegar
• 2⁄3 cup  fat free Greek yogurt
• 2 1⁄2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• 2  tablespoons  coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro leaves
•  sea salt and freshly-ground pepper

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
2. Scrub all vegetables. Leaving skins on, cut root vegetables into large chunks of similar size, roughly the size of strawberries, smaller is okay for the parsnips. Keep potatoes, parsnips, and beets in separate bowls. The vegetables aren't combined until after they've been roasted.
3. Coarsely chop garlic, set aside.
4. Coarsely chop red onion, set aside.
5. Using a mortar and pestle, gently grind dried oregano.
6. Distribute garlic, onions, and oregano evenly among the chopped veggies. Drizzle 3 T of olive oil over potatoes, 2 T over beets, and one T over parsnips. Pour 3 tsp of balsamic vinegar over potatoes, 2 tsp over beets, and 1 tsp over parsnips. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
7. Toss each bowl separately and transfer veggies into roasting pans or dishes. The beets and parsnips can share a dish as long as they don't mingle too much. (I throw the potatoes into a 8in X 8in baking dish and then the beets and parsnips share a 3-qt baking dish, 3 dishes would work just as well.) All this separation keeps the flavors from influencing each other while roasting and yields a much better combination of distinct flavors in the final dish.
8. Roast veggies in an oven pre-heated to 400°F for about 55-65 minutes, turning veggies once at the half hour.
9. Combine veggies in a large pyrex or stoneware mixing bowl and toss. Set aside to cool slightly.
10. In a small mixing bowl combine greek yogurt, mustard, parsley and cilantro. Season with a pinch of sea salt.
11. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss once more to coat entire salad evenly.
12. Serve warm or chill in salad in the fridge for a few hours and serve cool.