🥕 Roasted Carrots, Potatoes, Onions + Garlic with Sage

Roasted vegetables were the first dish I ever learned to make without a recipe. They were also the first dish I learned to make well, because someone once told me a roast doesn’t need more ingredients—just more time.

So this is the version I bring now. Carrots and potatoes cut intentionally thicker so they roast instead of steam. Onions wedged and added with the potatoes so the corners sweeten just a little. Whole garlic cloves, because the only thing better than roasted vegetables is roasted garlic roasted among them. Sage, because the smell of sage in a hot kitchen is the universal signal that something seasonal is happening.

And the tahini part? That’s just practicality that looks intentional: sesame folded smooth with lemon, thinned with warm water until it spreads easily on a plate. Sauce first. Veg on top after. Less drizzle, more distribution, better bite in every forkful that way.

This is the recipe for anyone who wants their holiday side dishes to taste like effort, without sounding like it on the plate.

🥔 The Roast

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb baby potatoes, halved

• 4 large carrots, cut into sticks or thick diagonal rounds

• 1 large yellow or red onion, cut into wedges

• 6–8 whole garlic cloves, peeled

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp fresh sage, roughly chopped

• ½ tsp coriander seeds, crushed (optional, subtle, very good)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C)

2. Toss potatoes with 1 tbsp oil + ½ tsp salt. Roast 10 minutes

3. Add carrots, onions, and whole garlic cloves to the sheet

4. Drizzle remaining oil. Add salt, pepper, sage, and coriander if using

5. Toss gently. Roast 20–25 more minutes

6. Let rest 5 minutes before plating

✨ Lemon Tahini Sauce (for the plate base)

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup tahini

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• 2–5 tbsp very warm water (to thin)

• 1–2 roasted garlic cloves from the tray, mashed into the sauce (optional but recommended)

• ½ tsp maple syrup (optional, for a glossy finish without sweetness taking over)

Method

1. Stir tahini + lemon juice until it thickens

2. Add salt + pepper (and mashed roasted garlic if using)

3. Slowly add warm water until smooth, swirl-friendly, and spreadable

4. Stir in maple if using

To Serve

Spread the tahini sauce across the bottom of a platter or individual plates first, then stack roasted vegetables over the top, letting some edges meet the sauce naturally.

Serving Notes

• Carrots should be cut thick enough to roast, not steam

• Onions should soften and sweeten at the corners

• Garlic should go soft and golden, not crisp

• Sauce should spread easily (not thick like dip, not thin like dressing)