Winter Vegetable and Chorizo Medley

A good nutritional rule of thumb is to try to have at least one serving of fruit or vegetable from each color of the rainbow every day. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. White? I guess potatoes get the shaft in this scenario. Either way, this dish covers two of the six – or three if white counts. Beets and cabbage are both nutritional superstars. Chorizo is really just along for the ride, because I like to think that any meal loaded with vegetable based vitamins and minerals deserves a muse.

The potatoes and beets are roasted in separate dishes with a little bit of olive oil, giving the pieces a delicate skin. The potatoes end up with a buttery softness. The cabbage takes on a hearty flavor from steaming in the pan with the browned chorizo, and the beets’ sweetness plays well with the spice of the chorizo. You may want to double this recipe, because everyone will want seconds. Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s not necessary to use salt. The chorizo and beets pack a lot of flavor on their own.

Winter Vegetable and Chorizo Medley – serves 2 – 4

4 new potatoes, or 2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium beets, peeled and chopped
1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped
1 t+1 t+1 T olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, sliced

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Place beets and potatoes in separate baking dishes. Drizzle each with one tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until fork tender.

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium. Add chorizo and brown. Add cabbage, cover and allow cabbage to steam for 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove lid and cook and additional 5 – 10 minutes, allowing some of the liquid to cook off.

Pour cabbage and sausage mixture into a serving plate or shallow bowl, add potatoes and toss. Scatter beets on top of the mixture. Serve hot and definitely try a bite with each ingredient combined because it’s a great flavor combo.

Ingredient origins: Potatoes, beets, cabbage – Massachusetts, Chorizo – New Hampshire, Olive oil – Spain