Edible Alliums

• Onions, leeks, scallions, garlic and shallots are all part of the allium family. While not all allium bulbs are edible, these certainly are. As the prime rib cooks, the onions sweeten and turn a golden hue. Add a few extra onions to the pan and make onion gravy with the pan drippings. Peel the onions and remove the root and stem ends. Cut large onions in quarters. Smaller onions may be left whole. Leeks tend to hide sand and dirt among their layers. Cut off the tough dark green stems and the root end. Slice lengthwise in half and hold the halves under running water to rinse away grit and dirt. Shallots need their skins and roots removed. Cut off the roots of garlic heads, scrub and roast whole.

Perfect Potatoes

• Not much goes better with prime rib than roasted potatoes. Make your oven do double duty by roasting the potatoes with the roast. Surprise diners with an assortment of colorful potatoes such as purple fingerlings, baby red potatoes, Yukon gold and even blue potatoes. Scrub the potatoes, but don't peel them -- some varieties of colored potatoes only have the color in the skin, not the flesh. Potatoes only need about an hour of roasting time, so add to the prime rib when it's 60 minutes away from being done. Scatter herbs such as parsley, tarragon or rosemary over the potatoes.

Rowdy Root Vegetables

• The sweetness of carrots and parsnips complements the strong bold taste of the prime rib. Other root vegetables such as turnips, rutabagas and radishes add a bit of spice. Yes, radishes can be cooked. They become a bit more mellow than when raw. Bright red beets add color to a roasted vegetable medley. Scrub smaller beets well, but don't peel, so the beet doesn't bleed red. Kohlrabi and fennel are quasi-root vegetables, the edible "root" actually grows above ground. Kohlrabi tastes like a cross between green beans and summer squash. Fennel has a licorice taste. Add the vegetables to the roasting pan about an hour before the roast is done.

Mushrooms -- A Class of Their Own

• Mushrooms and beef are a match made in heaven. However, roasting dries out mushrooms rather quickly. Add during the last 30 minutes of roasting time. Choices include white button, portobello, oyster, chanterelle and shitake. Remove the stems from shitake mushrooms as they're too tough to eat. A word to the wise, do not use wild mushrooms unless they've been harvested by an expert. Some varieties are toxic.