Sometimes the you just need the classics.. Slow roasted meat with huge amounts of root veggies..  Simple and yet not.. we have all had those dry pot roast or the swimming in fat leg of lamb and those root veggies.. well, its hard to not enjoy roasted roots but there are a few that do not really work in a mix (example beets, I love roasted beets they are a huge favorite but they will effect the color of all the others roasted with them in the pan, just not a good pick)

The first thing is if you can get a nice leg of ontario lamb from a farmgate (ideally grass fed or lightly grain finished, this will be a much leaner meat then that fatty heavy grained lamb penned lamb.. they are night and day as far as I am concerned.. 

Do not be afraid to do this with a lovely young leg of goat if that is easier to get in your area..  (just make sure that the farmer you are working with has made sure to remove those young boy goats parts lol, they can get the boy taint very young, just like they can breed very young)

Thaw out the meat and put it to age with garlic, oil and your favorite spices for at 24 hours, 48 is better, we much learn to age our meats better in the fridges.. it makes a massive difference.. it was not that long ago that the butchers would hang longer but now do not count on it.. AT ALL..  from the smallest shop to the biggest, they are at max push and they are not hanging.. as a in person example.. for over 10 years, my lambs were butchered monday, I would ask them to be hung at least 72 at a min and they were ready saturday..  then came the push and I have really struggled to even get that 72 hours..  in 2021, after booking them in a year in advance just to get the spots, they went in mid-monday, were butchered tuesday and ready thursday.. they didn’t hang at all.. there is not time in there for proper hang time..  

This means that I need to pull and age that meat on my end if I want the best from it.. sometimes its just a matter of a few hours in a sauce or giving it little pounding but when it comes to bigger portions like a leg of lamb, aging and then slow roasting will get the job done.. 

Now on to the veggies.. Garlic and Onion.. o ya, its a must.. lol.. its a must!

However the key is to do a mix of sweeter roots with more starch roots.. in this mix was potato, carrot, winter turnip, summer turnip and butternut squash..  so Potato and summer turnip were the most carb and not sweet at all, the carrot and winter turnip were the next level of flavor and the next level up on sweeter flavour and the butternut squash was the sweetest of them all..  

That is my goal, about a 3rd more heavier, a 3rds in the middle range of flavour and only a 3rd in the softer or sweeter or strong flavour profile.. sure you want it colorful, but you also want to mix the textures and the flavours so as you eat your meal you can pick and choose.. 

Of course the broth used and the spices and herbs used also have a influence to the end results but that is far more personal.. in our case, we let the garlic, black pepper, yellow mustard seeds and fresh rosemary out of the garden with lots of salt speak for itself.. I also added in some of my homemade red wine in there.. 

What is your favorite blend of root veggies when roasting them in the oven with a beautiful roast of your choice?? Is there something you love? Something you hate?