Root Vegetable Tian
Root Vegetable Tian, with its thinly sliced vegetables, seasoned and baked until tender, finished with optional cheese, is a beautiful dish for Autumn and Winter.
Its distinctive pattern of concentric circles is very easy to achieve using as many different multicoloured root vegetables as you can get.
Serve alongside roasts, sausages, chops etc. or eat as a vegetarian main course.
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TIAN
Like casserole, marmite, cazuela and tagine, the word tian originally referred to the name of a cooking pot, not the dish made in it.
Traditionally a Provençal baked dish of sliced aubergine, courgette, tomatoes, onion and sometimes cheese, tian is normally associated with late Summer.
But I think the modern twist of turning it into a great Autumn and Winter dish, made with root vegetables, is an excellent one.
ROOT VEGETABLES
As I write this post, we’re heavily into root vegetable season.
In this week’s organic Moorland Veg Box, as well as regular potatoes, there were swede, parsnips, carrots and sweet potatoes.
I suppose you could just roast or mash them. But why not elevate these often-underrated vegetables to something a little bit special?
Actually, I must admit I’m not the biggest fan of swede (or rutabaga to give it the fancier north American name). Without parsnip’s pepperiness or carrot’s sweetness, I think it’s best cooked alongside other root vegetables.
Which is what gave me the idea of making a dish which would balance the different vegetables’ characters in one harmonious whole.
Along with the veggies you see here, I also included red onion. Others that would go well in Root Vegetable Tian are beetroot, celeriac and turnip.
ROOT VEGETABLE TIAN
The tian is easy to make, despite its rather lovely appearance. The only time-consuming element is slicing the vegetables thinly.
However, if you have a mandoline slicer then this should go pretty quickly. It will be easier to get them really thin too.
But I’m about the clumsiest person I know, and I’m sure I’d have a finger or two off the first time I used a mandoline. So, I stick to a knife and settle for a slightly thicker cut.
As you’ll see in the detailed recipe card at the end of this post, I haven’t been very specific about the amount of vegetables you’ll need. That’s because it all depends on the size of your cooking vessel. The baking tin I’ve used here has a diameter of 20cm and is 4cm deep.
To keep the slices from moving about, you need to really pack them in. Also, bear in mind that they’ll shrink during cooking. So do try to squeeze in as many as you can.
Try also to get the slices a similar diameter. This will make fitting them in easier. Obviously, the size of swede and carrot, for example, vary greatly. I cut the swede slices into quarters and cut the carrot on a slant to elongate it. If your onion’s large, just cut in half.
COOKING THE TIAN
Before the Root Vegetable Tian goes in the oven, sprinkle over your chosen seasonings. I used salt, pepper, dried thyme and garlic granules. But you could go in a spicier direction with cumin and/or chilli flakes or try different herbs such as sage.
Next, olive oil is drizzled on or brushed over and the whole thing covered in foil.
Then it’s into the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the vegetables are well on their way to being tender.
You then take the foil off, baste the top with some of the oil and juices which will have collected at the bottom of the dish, and pop it back in the oven to finish cooking and take on some colour.
This stage should take roughly 30 minutes.
You then have a choice. To cheese or not to cheese?
Served plain, Root Vegetable Tian is a great side dish to roast meats, sausages, or other proteins.
But a scattering of cheese makes it a great contender for a vegetarian main course. (Or you could have the meat and the cheese, of course!)
CHEESY ROOT VEGETABLE TIAN
For the tian you see here, I sprinkled over finely grated Parmesan and coarser grated sheep’s milk cheese.
Then it was back into the oven until the cheese was molten and starting to go golden and crispy.
Heaven!
We ate the tian with a frittata: onions slowly softened until sweet then cooked with eggs and fresh herbs.
If you want something lighter with it, I think a peppery watercress salad with a tangy dressing would fit the bill.
I hope you’ll try this easy yet impressive dish.
For little effort, you’ll be rewarded with a satisfying, comforting and delicious plateful.
Yes, these days there are any number of exotic vegetables available all year round. But isn’t it time we gave humble root veg a bit more love and attention?
Have you made Root Vegetable Tian?
Leave a comment and don’t forget to rate the recipe.
Root Vegetable Tian
Thinly sliced vegetables, seasoned and baked until tender, finished with optional cheese: Root Vegetable Tian is a beautiful dish for Autumn and Winter.
Use as many different root vegetables as you can. Amounts shown are a rough guide: you'll need enough to tightly fill your chosen baking dish.
Serve alongside roasts, sausages etc. or as a vegetarian main course if including cheese.
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 large parsnips
- 2 large carrots
- ⅓ medium swede
- 2 medium red onions
- salt & pepper
- dried thyme replace with sage or spices such as cumin/chilli flakes if liked
- garlic granules optional
- grated cheese (e.g. Parmesan, cheddar) optional
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 190C / 170 Fan / Gas 5.
Using some of the olive oil, lightly grease a baking dish at least 20cm in diameter and 4cm deept.
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Peel the vegetables as required and slice thinly (cut the onions a little thicker as they cook more quickly).
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Place the vegetable slices in the prepared dish, forming concentric circles and alternating between different colours for an attractive appearance.
Pack the dish as tightly as you can with vegetables: they will shrink during cooking and filling the dish will help them stay in place.
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Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and your chosen seasonings.
Brush or drizzle over olive oil.
Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the vegetables are getting tender.
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Remove the dish from the oven and remove the foil.
Baste the top of the vegetables with some of the oil and juices which will have collected in the bottom of the dish.
Return the dish to the oven (without the foil) to finish cooking and to brown the top to your liking (25-30 min).
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Optional step: scatter the grated cheese over the vegetables and return the dish to the oven.
Serve when the cheese has melted and is starting to brown.
Recipe Notes
Other root vegetables to include in the tian: beetroot, celeriac, turnip.