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2 Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Serve hot.

Kitchen Note: A food processor makes fast work of shredding root vegetables, but a box grater also can be used.

Large, naked, raw carrots are acceptable as food only to those who live in hutches eagerly awaiting Easter.

— Fran Lebowitz

Maple-Balsamic Root Vegetables

Serves 4

There’s no question that roasting is one of the best ways to prepare root vegetables, as this sweet-and-sour vegetable medley proves. Feel free to mix and match different vegetables — they are all terrific with the maple-balsamic glaze, though the inclusion of beets makes the combination particularly colorful.

2 carrots, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes

1 large rutabaga, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes

1 large beet, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes

1 onion, halved and slivered (sliced vertically)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¼ cup pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly oil a large sheet pan (preferred) or shallow roasting pan.

2 Mound the carrots, rutabaga, beet, and onion on the sheet pan. Drizzle the oil over the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread in a single layer in the pan.

3 Roast for about 45 minutes, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking, until the vegetables are lightly browned and mostly tender.

4 Meanwhile, stir together the vinegar, maple syrup, and melted butter in a small bowl; pour over the vegetables and roast about 10 minutes longer, until the vegetables are well browned and completely tender.

5 With a metal spatula, turn and toss the vegetables to make sure all the pieces are well coated. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.

Kitchen Note: Make sure the vegetables are cut to roughly the same size for even cooking, and do not crowd the pan.

Rutabagas: A Root by Any other Name

The rutabaga undoubtedly has the oddest name of any vegetable. The word comes from the Swedish word rotbagge, meaning “round or baggy root.” For some reason it isn’t called a rotbagge in Sweden; its common name there is kålrot (cabbage root). Rutabaga is a mouthful, which may be why it has so many alternative names, including Swede or Swedish turnip (it didn’t originate in Sweden, though it does grow well there), yellow turnip (it does look like a turnip but has yellow flesh), neep or tumshie (in Scotland), and even snadgie (in parts of northeast England).

The word rutabaga has been used by biologists to describe a specific mutation in fruit flies, resulting in impaired mental capacity. (Who knew fruit flies had enough mental capacity to show signs of impairment?) It is also an algorithm used in computer science. I’m not too sure what that means, but I’m pretty sure the computer scientist who named it was enthralled by the word rutabaga. The wonder is that more people aren’t enthralled by the flavor of rutabaga. I know I am.

Maple-Glazed Baked Winter Vegetables

Serves 6

If you don’t have a large sheet pan for spreading out vegetables for roasting, this is a fine alternative.

6 cups peeled and diced mixed root vegetables (beets, carrots, celery root, parsnips, rutabagas, salsify, and/or turnips), in ¾-inch cubes

2 cups peeled and diced butternut squash (about 1½ pounds), in ¾-inch cubes

1 onion, halved and slivered (sliced vertically)

5 tablespoons butter

¼ cup pure maple syrup

2 garlic cloves, minced

1½ teaspoons chopped dried rosemary or sage

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish.

2 Combine the root vegetables, squash, and onion in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the maple syrup, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Pour over the vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.

3 Bake for 40 minutes.