Passover Recipe: Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Tzimmes

This week on the Market Report, Laura Avery interviews Amelia Saltsman, author of The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook about farmers market inspired Passover dishes. This year Amelia is making a vegetarian tzimmes with roasted carrots, sweet potatoes and dried plums. A tzimmes literally translates to “fuss” in Yiddish, but this dish is just the opposite. As Amelia says, “it couldn’t be easier.” This version is vegetarian but it pairs well with brisket or chicken. Keep reading for the recipe…

Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Tzimmes

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

This is an update of traditional tzimmes, which is commonly made with brown sugar and beef flanken. Roasting carrots, sweet potatoes, and dried plums (or regular prunes) in orange juice brightens and sweetens the dish without added sugar. Dried plums add a more complex sweet-tart note than prunes (yes, they are also a kind of plum). It couldn’t be easier: everything goes into the pan at the same time and then roasts until the vegetables are tender, browned, citrus-glazed, and deliciously infused with orange. You can use a mix of orange- and white-fleshed sweet potatoes, or just carrots or just sweet potatoes. This meat-free tzimmes is a great companion to brisket or chicken.

2 pounds carrots, peeled

3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled

1 pound shallots, about 8 large, peeled

½ to ¾ pound dried plums or pitted prunes

6 to 8 oranges (enough to yield 2 ½ cups juice)

1 lemon

3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher or sea salt

Freshly ground white or black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest of two oranges into large strips (be sure to press down only hard enough to remove just the colored part of the skin, not the bitter white pith). Do the same with the lemon. Juice enough oranges to get 2 ½ cups juice.

Cut carrots crosswise into 2-inch chunks or lengthwise into 2-inch pieces. Cut the sweet potatoes into large bite-size chunks. Cut shallots into quarters lengthwise. Snip dried fruit in half.

Use a roasting pan large enough to accommodate all the vegetables in roughly a single layer (don’t go crazy with this, just don’t pile them too deeply). Place carrots, potatoes, shallots, dried fruit, and lemon and orange zests into pan. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour juice over all. Roast uncovered until vegetables are tender and browned in places, and the juice is mostly absorbed, about 1 ¼ hours. Turn the vegetables once or twice during the cooking time. If you want more juice in the finished dish, add another ½-1 cup juice during last 20 minutes of cooking time. The juices should thicken slightly.

This dish may be made a day ahead and reheated in a 350-degree oven.

© 2013, Amelia Saltsman.