Broccoli & Potato Vegetarian Nuggets

Ingredients

2 large russet potatoes

3 medium carrots, peeled and diced into rounds

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

1/3 cup chopped leeks (or diced yellow onion)

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

salt and coarsely ground black pepper

3 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
a few teaspoons of olive oil for baking

Directions

• Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse unpeeled potatoes under cool water to remove any dirt.  Wrap potatoes in foil.  Set aside.
• Toss chopped carrots and broccoli florets on a rimmed baking sheet.  Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
• Place the vegetables on the upper oven rack.  Place the wrapped potatoes on a baking sheet on the center rack.
• While vegetables roast, place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat.  Add leeks and saute until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.  Remove from heat and set aside.
• Roast carrots and broccoli until browned and tender, removing from the oven and tossing several times during roasting.  Vegetables will roast for about 30 minutes (depending on how large and thickly sliced they are).
• Bake potatoes until tender all the way through.  Depending on the size of your potato, this could take 40 minuets to 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and carefully remove foil.  When a knife is easily inserted through the whole potatoes, it’s done baking.
• Allow vegetables to rest until cool enough to handle.
• Place carrots and broccoli, along with the leeks and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment.  Blend until finely chopped.  Place into a large bowl.
• Cut the potatoes (skin on)  into large chunks and place in the food processor.  Blend until mostly smooth.  It’s ok if there are a few lumps.  Placed potato into the bowl with the carrot and broccoli.
• Add Old Bay and mustard and stir to combine.  Taste mixture and add salt and pepper as necessary.
• Set out three small bowls for an assembly line:  one for flour, one for beaten eggs, and one for bread crumbs.  Prepare a baking pan by covering it with parchment paper.
• Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out 1 heaping tablespoon of mixture.  Place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat until the mixture is done and balls are formed.
• Balls can be frozen for 1 hour at this point to make them easier to work with.  I just forged ahead without freezing, but it’s just a tip.
• To coat veggie balls, first dip in flour, lightly coat in egg, and toss in bread crumbs.  Return to prepared baking sheet.
• Freeze nuggets, in a single layer, until frozen solid.  From here they can be placed in a large freezer bag for future use.
• To bake: place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Place your desired amount of nuggets on the baking sheet flipping each nugget to lightly coat both sides with a bit of olive oil.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and flip each nugget.  Bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown on each side.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe found at: http://joythebaker.com/2012/10/broccoli-potato-nuggets/