Winter is the biggest challenge to seasonal cooking. Spring, summer and fall (at least in the Northeast) all come bearing delicious produce. But in winter, the variety declines significantly. And while it's tempting to dine on the brightly colored, but largely tasteless peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables shipped from halfway across the world to the local grocery store, in the interest of eating more locally, I find myself preparing a lot of root vegetables in the winter.

Root vegetables are delicious, so I'm not complaining. The simplest preparation - oven-roasting an assortment of turnips, carrots, and other relatives with onions, garlic, olive oil, herbs, and salt and pepper - is a tasty, healthy, colorful part of any meal. But any preparation becomes boring with repetition. So here, I offer a delicious, albeit slightly more time-consuming, alternative to basic roasted root vegetables.

I discovered this winter vegetable crumble recipe about a year ago in a cookbook titled "Simply in Season" and prepared it for Thanksgiving in 2013. Everyone who tried it then enjoyed it, despite the fact that I had made the mistake of including red beets, which turned the entire dish a rather alarming shade of pink.

I liked it, too, but a few details irked me. For one thing, the original recipe called for steaming the root vegetables before combining them with the sauce and topping. I followed the directions the first time, but when I revisited this recipe recently, I partially roasted the vegetables instead of steaming them in order to better concentrate their flavors. I also replaced some of the rosemary called for in the original recipe with sage for a more complex flavor profile.

The result is a delicious, yet still healthy, vegetable medley that tastes much more decadent than it is. The recipe calls for milk in the sauce, but if you want to make this vegan, I imagine that almond or another nondairy milk would work in its place. You can use whatever root vegetables you happen to have on hand, but I find that I get the best results using a combination of sweeter vegetables, like carrots, sweet potatoes, and golden beets, and sharper flavors like turnip and celery root.

Double-Roasted Root

Vegetable Crumble

Adapted from the Winter Vegetable Crumble in Simply in Season (Herald Press, 2009)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. assorted root vegetables, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (I used a mix of turnips, celery root, purple sweet potatoes, and carrots.)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2/3 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted cashews

2/3 cup milk

1¼ cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Toss the root vegetable pieces with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes, until just barely tender. When the vegetables are done, transfer them to a lightly oiled 2-quart baking dish and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 375° F.

Meanwhile, finely chop ½ cup cashews. Combine the oats, chopped cashews, and whole-wheat flour in a medium bowl. Add ½ tablespoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon sage, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper, and mix to form a crumble. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cashews (whole is fine) and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned. Stir in milk and stock. Place the all-purpose flour in a small bowl, and whisk in a small amount of the onion-milk-stock mixture to form a smooth paste. Add this mixture to the saucepan and stir to combine, then add the remaining rosemary and sage.

Bring sauce to a boil; continue to cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove sauce from heat and cool slightly, then purée until smooth. Pour the sauce over the root vegetables, then distribute the oat crumble evenly over the top. Bake at 375° F for 30 minutes.

EMILY CLARK, AN EDITOR, ENJOYS DISCOVERING NEW RECIPES AND PERFECTING OLD ONES IN HER EAST LYME KITCHEN. SHE COOKS WITH LOCAL INGREDIENTS, INCLUDING WHATEVER IS GROWING IN HER GARDEN. SHE CAN BE REACHED AT SAVORINGSEASONS@GMAIL.COM.