Potatoes aren’t evil, but they’ve become the default setting on most plates. Mash, fries, gratin, new potatoes — again and again. This step is about discovering the joy of other roots and letting the humble spud share the spotlight.

When you start exploring, you’ll find a whole family of flavours waiting for you: parsnips that caramelise into sweetness, carrots that roast into gold, beetroot that turns earthy and rich, or sweet potatoes that need little more than salt to taste indulgent.

Why this works

Swapping out (or just mixing in) other root vegetables lowers the glycaemic hit of the meal and adds more colour, fibre, and nutrients. You still get that warm, satisfying comfort of roasted or mashed vegetables — just with a slower glucose rise and a wider range of vitamins and plant compounds.

Roasting: the gateway method

Roasting brings out natural sweetness and makes vegetables hard to ruin.

• Cut everything into similar-sized chunks, toss with olive oil, a pinch of salt, pepper, and something for flavour: garlic, onion, herbs, or a touch of spice.
• Bake at around 200 °C until edges brown and the kitchen smells like you know what you’re doing.
• Try this simple experiment: make two bowls of mixed veg — one herby, one spicy. Use thyme and oregano in one; nutmeg, paprika, or cayenne in the other. Serve both and see which disappears first.

When you discover how good roasted veg can be, the potato stops being the automatic choice — it becomes just another ingredient.

Flavour matching with the main protein.

The trick is pairing the side with the main idea of the meal.Lemon-garlic fish loves clean, herby veg. Barbecue chicken pairs beautifully with nutmeg-spiced carrots and beetroot. Beef or lamb stands up well to paprika, cumin, or rosemary.

Play, taste, compare. Cooking becomes more fun when you treat flavour like music — chords that work together, not random notes.

A note on peeling

You can peel if you like, but often a good scrub is enough. Most of the flavour and a good deal of the fibre sit just under the skin. Unpeeled veg also hold their shape better when roasted — less mush, more bite.

Rediscover beetroot and more

If you’ve only ever eaten beetroot from a jar, the roasted version will surprise you.

• It turns sweet, deep, and slightly smoky — nothing like the pickled slices of school dinners past.
• Start with a few pieces mixed into the tray. You’ll probably add more next time.

There are lots of other vegetables to test, fennel, leeks, sweet potato, cauliflower and more. Each one adds something different. Try lots of combinations, see which ones you like and keep adjusting. Don’t be frightened, you can always pick out the chunks you don’t get on with. Some proven combinations:

• Mediterranean: red onion + courgette + pepper + cherry tomatoes + oregano.
• Nordic twist: beetroot + carrot + fennel + dill or thyme.
• Middle Eastern: cauliflower + onion + cumin + coriander seed + lemon.
• Comfort classic: parsnip + sweet potato + nutmeg + garlic.

Make it fit your meal

Mashed potatoes? Replace half the potato with parsnip for a sweet, nutmeggy twist. Potato gratin? Swap in layers of carrot or sweet potato. Chips? Try roasted carrot or parsnip sticks dusted with paprika — they crisp up wonderfully. Once you find combinations you enjoy, you won’t miss the old routine; you’ll just have more options.

Also cooked root vegetables when cooled have the starch they do have made more resistant to digestion. This lowers the GI value, keeping insulin levels low.

A small weekly goal

Each week, try one new herb or spice with your root vegetables. It keeps things fresh and helps train your palate to notice flavour, not just starch.

Give yourself more flavours to love — and a reason to open the spice drawer again.