Wild Rice and Roasted Vegetable Harvest Casserole

Side dishes are an essential part of a festive holiday menu and side dishes that can be prepared in advance and reheated simultaneously is a good use of your Convection oven.

Sweet potatoes, roasted in convection and served over wild rice with Brussels sprouts and cranberries, is a delicious side dish that pairs well with roast turkey, chicken, or small hens, best of all it can be prepared in advance and reheated prior to serving.

Ingredients

1 cup wild rice blend

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes

½ tsp dried thyme

1 medium yellow onion, diced

½ lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced

½ cup dried cranberries

1 cup chicken stock

Preparation

Cook the wild rice blend as per the package directions on the cooktop or in the Steam oven with a little salt and butter.  When the rice has cooked, scrape the cooked rice into a large bowl and set aside to cool.

Heat the Oven in the Convection Bake or Convection Roast mode at 350F (176C).

Toss the sweet potato cubes with enough olive oil to coat, a sprinkle of Kosher salt, and ½ tsp dried thyme. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the edges have caramelized and the potato cubes are tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Saute the onion over moderate heat until softened then stir in the Brussels sprouts. Cook until the Brussels sprouts have softened and are beginning to brown on the edge.  Combine with the cooked rice and stir in the sweet potato cubes. Gently stir in the cranberries and add just enough stock to moisten the filling. Scrape into an oven casserole dish and set aside to cool before covering and refrigerating.

Heat the casserole uncovered in the Convection Bake mode for 20 minutes prior to serving.

Serving 6