Roasted vegetables

This is a great way to prepare late fall root vegetables that people might otherwise find unappealing (rutabaga, anyone?).

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425.

Step 2: Cut an assortment of vegetables into 3/4-1" cubes. Tonight we dine on butternut squash and blue potatoes, but other possibilites might include red beets, golden beets, rutabaga, parsnips, carrots, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, onion.

Step 3: Toss vegetables with a generous amount of olive oil, kosher salt, chili powder and dried rubbed sage. How much you use depends on personal taste and how many vegetables you've got in the first place.

Step 4: Spread on a large, shallow baking pan and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until a fork goes easily into the vegetables. Be sure to stir them up about every 10 minutes so that they roast evenly.

Step 5: Enjoy with fresh bread and a robust red wine. If you like wine, that is (which I do!)

This works with summer vegetables, too, like zuccini, bell pepper and tomatoes, but they don't take as long to roast.