Autumn Roots. Cranberry Butter. Onion Confît.

INGREDIENTS:

2 carrots. 2 parsnips. 2 golden beets. 2 yellow onions.

fresh thyme

kale

bacon. good bacon. thick cut. organic if possible.

bacon fat

extra. virgin. olive. oil.

butter. lots of it.

kosher salt. fresh cracked pepper.

a little sugar

fresh cranberries. dried if you can’t get fresh.

a good roasting pan

step 1. onion confît:

slice your onions, about 1/4 inch thick. toss them in an oven safe pan (no oil or fat in it yet), sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and cook over med-low heat, stirring infrequently, and watch as the water evaporates from them. do. not. let. them. burn. set oven to 250 or so. after 15 minutes or so on the stove they will be pretty wilted and kinda dehydrated looking. toss in an ungodly amount of butter, fresh thyme, and 2 or three pinches of sugar. turn the heat up a bit, when the butter and sugar have melted together and are starting to foam up, drizzle some extra virgin in there, and toss in the oven for 20 minutes or so. until totally melted, soft, and dark golden. set aside.

step 2. cranberry butter:

let 1/2 stick of butter come to room temp. toss the rest in a saucepan with a handful of fresh (or dried) cranberries and a handful or so of sugar and a pinch or two of kosher salt. cook on low-med heat until the berries start to break down. set aside until cool. Once cool toss the contents of the pan into a food processor with the room temp butter. process thoroughly. lay out some saran wrap. spoon the mixture onto the wrap. roll it up cylindrically. refrigerate.

step 3. autumn roots:

oven to 375. peel your carrots, parsnips, and golden beets. cut into 1 inch diagonal slices. throw them into the roasting pan. drizzle liberally with extra virgin. sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. throw in the oven for 45 min or so, stir once or twice throughout. do step 4 while they roast.

step 4. bacon up:

roughly chop your bacon. toss in pan. cook over medium heat till super crispy. set bacon aside. leave the fat in the pan. tear your kale into pieces, about 2 inches square. turn the heat up and fry the kale in the bacon fat until super crispy, careful not to burn. set aside.

step 5. assemble:

once your roots have a beautiful roasted color and browned edges, toss in your onion confît, a few pads of cranberry butter, stir in. let warm in oven for a couple minutes. put it all on a large serving platter. sprinkle your bacon bits & garnish with fried kale. serve it up. pair with bubbles, earthy french or a spicy spanish red.

done. and. done.