The Joys of Roasted Vegetables

I think this is becoming a cooking blog.  Oh well.  I love to cook and love to share ideas.

The other day my friend Patti asked me what I thought she should serve with a special dinner she was preparing.  She wanted an easy to make and serve vegetable side dish since the rest of the dinner she was making was more complicated.

That was an easy answer for me.  My favorite go-to vegetable preparation is the roasted version.  Why?  First off, less cleanup.  I seriously look for reasons to not have to do cleanup after dinner.  Secondly, a lot of vegetables taste a whole lot better after they've been roasted.  Third, I feel like a real chef when I'm doing this, as I use no measuring spoons or cups.

Ready?  Here goes.

Vegetables that you can use (alone or in combinations):

Brussels sprouts
Cauliflower
Onions
Garlic (don't peel - just separate the cloves)
Asparagus
Small, waxy potatoes
Sweet potatoes

What you need:

A rimmed baking sheet
Foil
Cooking spray
Good olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly-ground black pepper

Heat the oven to about 425.  You want a hot oven to really roast your vegetables.

Line the baking sheet with foil.  Don't be skimpy with the foil unless you want to wash that baking sheet later.  Spray the foil with cooking spray.

Prepare your vegetables.  Wash and cut them to a manageable size.  For example, cut the cauliflower into flowerets.  If a floweret is still too big, slice it in half.  Cut the brussels sprouts in half, through the stem, so that the leaves stay together.  You can leave asparagus whole, but trim off the tough ends.  If using sweet potatoes, peel them and dice into pieces that are bite-sized, but not tiny (you don't want them to burn).  You don't need to peel your waxy potatoes, but make sure they are all about the same size.  If there are some larger ones in the group, cut in half.  Your goal is to try to make sure everything cooks at the same time.

Toss the vegetables onto the baking sheet, and drizzle well with olive oil.  If you have it, try an oil that is infused with another flavor - a citrus olive oil is great with asparagus or sweet potatoes, for example.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Don't be shy about that part.

Pop the pan into the oven.  Keep an eye on things - the time it takes depends on the vegetables.  It is a hot oven, so smaller stuff will cook pretty fast.

The vegetables I tend to do alone are the sprouts, cauliflower and asparagus.  The potatoes can be done in combination - sweet and regular, along with some quartered onions and a few cloves of garlic.  That's a great side dish and very easy.