An ideal cooking technique for a host of winter vegetables, roasting concentrates their flavors, caramelizes their natural sugars and tenderizes their interiors, producing exceptionally delicious results. Sturdy root vegetables and tubers, such as potatoes, carrots, parsnips and celery root, cook up beautifully in the dry heat of the oven. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower roast particularly well; in the oven, their cabbagelike aromas are tamed and their strong flavors turn sweet and mellow. Winter squashes are also ideal candidates for roasting, as their hard textures become creamy and yielding.

Roasted vegetables make wonderful side dishes for winter meals. Here we feature some recipes to inspire you, including herb-roasted fingerling potatoes with whole-grain mustard, gingered baby carrots and leeks topped with crispy bread crumbs. For tips on roasting vegetables, click on the link at left.