This time of year, farm markets, vegetable stands and community-supported agriculture (CSA) baskets fill up with root vegetables of all descriptions: large rutabagas, white and yellow turnips, golden beets, carrots, parsnips and more.

Less plentiful are ideas and recipes for using them. The Washington Post’s Stephanie Witt Sedgwick says you can throw them into stews or roast them in the oven. “But when company’s coming or I am catering to a vegetable-phobic crowd, I fall back on glazing, a method I learned in cooking school,” she says. “The vegetables steam in the pan in a sweetened liquid, and as they near tenderness, the liquid is allowed to reduce until it forms a glaze that lightly coats each piece.”

Sedgwick claims that even her 10-year-old skips the excuses and chows down the veggies in glaze.

Apple Cider-Glazed Root Vegetables

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds assorted root vegetables, such as turnips, rutabagas, carrots and golden beets, peeled and cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh apple cider
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)

Combine the butter and oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat.

When the butter has melted, add the vegetables and 1/8 teaspoon of salt; toss to coat evenly. Add the cider and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cover, adjusting the heat so the liquid boils, but not rapidly. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the vegetables are barely fork-tender (they should show just a little resistance when poked with the tines of a fork or a skewer).

Uncover and bring the liquid back to a rapid boil. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a glaze.

Sprinkle the vegetables with the nutmeg; toss to incorporate. Taste, and add salt as needed. Serve warm.

NUTRITION: Per serving (based on 6): 100 calories, 1 g protein, 14 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 81 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 10 g sugar

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