I enjoy making food that tastes as good as it looks, and Roasted Root Vegetables and Burnt Honey is a perfect example. These veggies are flavorful and pretty to look at, and since we eat with our eyes, feast your eyes on this gorgeous dish. Roasting is one of my favorite ways to prepare vegetables of any kind. For this recipe, I’m using parsnips, golden beets, rutabaga, and potatoes, tossed with fresh herbs and olive oil, and my newest favorite garnish, burnt honey. The golden color is your first clue that this dish is a winner!

We all know green to be the essential color of St. Patrick’s Day, so too is gold; that’s part of the inspiration for this dish. Beets are good at sharing their color. These golden beats help to stain the other vegetables a beautiful yellow-gold color. Roasting the veggies at high heat will caramelize the edges, adding even more color and flavor.

I’ve created a sweet and savory sauce to serve over top of the roasted vegetables. Burnt honey works beautifully here with the veggies and herbs. As always, when heating sugar on the stove, exercise caution. A toasted honey sauce paired with sherry vinegar for a bit of acidity offers a wonderful balance of flavor to the herby roasted veggies.

I’ve got one more flavor feature that I like to serve with the vegetables, something tart and cool for a bit of richness. Greek yogurt infused with garlic, fresh dill, and lemon juice acts as a kind of yogurt cloud for the veggies to rest atop. Its creaminess is a deliciously luxurious addition to the whole flavor experience.

Like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, a plate of golden roasted root vegetables topped with burnt honey is just the delicious treasure that I want to serve to my guests. I enjoy this as much on St. Patrick’s Day as I do on just about any day. I often serve it with Gaelic Irish Steaks with Whiskey Cream and Colcannon, Irish Cheddar Scallion Biscuits, and Irish Apple Crumble.