Root Vegetable and Cranberry Bake

I made a pumpkin gratin with a few dried cranberries sprinkled in last week. The combination was so fantastic I decided to try cranberries with other fall veggies for this homey side dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups thinly sliced and peeled Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 cups thinly sliced and peeled sweet potato
• 1 and 1/2 cups thinly sliced parsnip
• 1 cup thinly sliced onion
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1 and 1/4 cups vegan chicken broth (such as Imagine)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter

1. Combine the potatoes, sweet potato, parsnip, onion, cranberries, salt, and black pepper in an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Set aside.

2. In a saucepan, combine the broth, maple syrup, thyme, bourbon, lemon juice, and butter.  Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and pour over the vegetables.

3. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  During this time, the vegetables will steam and soften. Uncover and bake an additional 50 minutes - the veggies will caramelize and roast during this second phase.

Note: Substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme for the fresh if you prefer.

Nutrition Info:
6 servings (about 1 cup), Calories 205

Tasting Notes:
The thinly sliced potatoes made this a bit like the Sweet Potato and Apple Gratin I made last fall, but this dish is even better. The woodsy parsnips are a fantastic addition, and I loved the contrast between the sweet cranberries and caramelized onion. A touch more thyme would have been nice, but everything else was delectable.

Rating:
4