— Jeff Kruegle

You know, I, you know, I'll tell you, I, I'm a, a fan of really, of anything, um, which doesn't help you. I understand. But, you know, let's start with winter squash. You know, I, I just mentioned a minute ago, uh, acorn squash, and so that's a place to start. Um, butternut squash, Hubbard squash, um, the Japanese Kabocha type of squash. Um, there are also, um, uh, sweet potatoes of various sorts. Uh, I'm a big fan of the, uh, purple Japanese style sweet potato, purple skin, or, or deep red, a kind of a, uh, like magenta, well, well, let's say deep red colored skin with a white flesh. Uh, I also love purple sweet potatoes. Those, um, it is got a deep earthy flavor depending on the variety you choose. The sweetness level can vary from really like candy sweet to much more earthy, uh, in profile. Um, it's got all kinds of nutrients. If you're just wondering about that, those anthocyanins that, you know, we associate with beets and these other purple foods are just compressed it seems in, uh, these purple varieties of, of sweet potatoes. So those are a, a great choice. Um, you know, other potatoes, of course, abound. Um, and then other root vegetables, uh, there are root of pegas, there are parsnips, um, you know, they're, um, uh, again, you know, other, uh, celery act or celery root, uh, is another choice. Um, so root vegetables in general, um, you know, can be a nice, um, seasonally appropriate, uh, product. That also goes nicely with, um, duck. Uh, you can, you can puree these items. You can blend them, you know, with multiple items together. Uh, you can cut them in different shapes and sizes depending on the, on the, uh, plate presentation that you might design or, you know, have in mind. Um, you can of course, flavor them, uh, in different directions with herbs, with spices, you can perfume them heavily or lightly, or even not at all. Uh, many of these items I just mentioned, like celery act, um, or a purple sweet potato, have so much personality on their own that you may not need to add anything to them. Um, save, uh, a pinch of salt and pepper, e even, you know, uh, or even, uh, you know, uh, bypassing those things could be fine. Um, you know, there's always things like, um, green beans. There's, uh, Brussels sprouts. Um, you know, those are all, uh, you know, commonly available things that, um, I have cooked with duck in the past, um, that I enjoy. Um, if you're, if you want to give Brussels sprouts a try, um, my recommendation is to really push the browning. Um, so use a really high heat if you're not oil averse, lightly, lightly oil, uh, the Brussels sprouts, and, and develop some browning all around on your initial, uh, roasting. Put the cut sides down on the sheet pan because that full contact is gonna develop some nice color, okay? And then you can turn them over and, and, um, you know, continue the cooking process, but you develop this deep color and a little bit of a crunchiness on those outer leaves, and it, uh, it adds a, uh, multiple dimensions at that point to, uh, the eating experience. Okay? Um, and so that's a place to start. Um, you can always, uh, another kind of fun thing to do, uh, and this is a, a, a David Chang from New York City, um, approach to Brussels sprouts, but buy some kimchi. Put it in your blender. Uh, so you gotta kimchi puree and then lightly toss your deeply roasted Brussels sprouts in the kimchi puree and serve that. It just adds another little, um, sweet, sour hot, sort of a sassy sauce, uh, at that point. Okay? Um, maybe you're gonna dress up some roasted vegetables, a medley of roasted vegetables. Maybe you'll garnish that with, uh, some, some pomegranate seeds, you know, some whole fresh pomegranate seeds, uh, for some color, uh, as well as a fistful or two or three of fresh herbs, um, you know, mint leaves and, and, uh, thyme and, and oregano. Um, uh, maybe a bit of, uh, rosemary, all these things go very nicely, um, with roasted vegetables, uh, as well. So, uh, you know, give these things a try, um, so long as they suit your palate. Uh, I, I don't think you can go wrong. All right, thank you.