Cheddar Biscuits & Pancetta Roasted Root Vegetables

Guest post by Kenneth Lowande

I have found that next to smoking, the most detrimental, habit-forming act a person can do is to memorize a biscuit recipe they like. For that reason, it is with great apprehension that I share the recipe below. At first, roasted root vegetables do not sound like a comfort food. They aren’t, unless you add pancetta (or “salty pork fat”), spice them up with some cayenne, and compliment them with a plate of cheddar biscuits. The cayenne provides just enough “kick” to balance the sweetness of the vegetables, and the cheddar biscuits remind you that there is a loving God. All told, this meal takes about an hour – though if you wanted to skip the veggies and go straight for the biscuits, 30 minutes will suffice.

Cheddar Biscuits

Ingredients

Pancetta Roasted Root Vegetables:

• 3 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 leeks, cleaned and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (only use the white parts)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Black pepper
• Cayenne
• Seasoning salt
• 4 oz. pancetta

Cheddar Biscuits (makes around 12 biscuits, or 8 large biscuits):

• 2 cups flour
• 2+ cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp Lawry’s seasoning salt (or sea salt + smoked paprika)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Add the potatoes and parsnips to roasting pan.  Coat veggies with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with seasoning salt and cayenne as desired. It’s important that the veggies are coated evenly.
2. Put the parsnips and sweet potatoes in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
3. While they are in the oven, chop the leeks and the garlic and add to a small bowl.
4. Combine with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add black pepper, cayenne, and seasoning salt to taste. Put the bowl in the refrigerator until later when we add it to the roasting pan. 
5. Now start prepping the biscuits. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
6. Combine dry ingredients and cream until you have a moist dough. Be careful not to over-mix.
7. Distribute the dough into biscuit sized gobs on a greased cookie sheet. Set cookie sheet aside.
8. After the parsnips and sweet potatoes have cooked for 20+ minutes, pull the roasting pan out of the oven and add the garlic-leeks mixture and pancetta. Distribute evenly in pan and mix to spread seasoning.
9. Put the pan back in oven. Put biscuits in the oven. Set timer for 20 minutes.
10. After 15 minutes in the oven, remove the biscuits, sprinkle graded cheese over the tops, return to oven until brown on the edges.
    

    Sprinkle grated cheese on top of the biscuits and put back in the oven.

11. The biscuits are done when the edges start to barely brown and the veggies are ready when the pancetta gets crispy. 
12. Generally, I let the biscuits set for 3-5 minutes. At this point, they are at the greatest risk of being snatched by a dog who is the devil.