Balsamic Roasted Beets and Carrots with Blue Cheese

This simple root vegetable dish is easy to prepare yet yields striking results, making it a perfect addition to the holiday table. The beets and carrots are roasted in separate foil packets to accommodate different cooking times. To amplify the vegetables’ naturally sweet, earthy notes, we mix caramelly dates into the beet wedges before baking and enclose an entire head of garlic, cut in half, in the packet with the carrots. When the garlic is soft and creamy, we mash the cloves and use them in a tangy-sweet balsamic-honey vinaigrette laced with plenty of fresh thyme. Salty-sharp blue cheese completes the colorful dish. If you’re able to find rainbow carrots, the mix of colors makes for an especially stunning presentation.