Roasted

Last week I roasted every vegetable in the house. Even green beans and potatoes. Roasting might be my most favorite way to cook vegetables.

Broccoli, red potatoes, green beans

I love the crispy edges. I love the deep flavor that comes from cooking in the dry heat of a hot oven.

Brussels sprouts, broccoli, red onion

Even vegetables that are not universally loved can be delicious when you roast them.  I love brussels sprouts when they are roasted, even though I have memories of yucky overcooked, mushy sprouts from childhood. I usually mix whatever vegetables I have on hand. I like a mix of colors, too.

Baby carrots

Remember the roasted carrots I made last week? One reader (Bev from Tennessee) said she followed those directions and roasted parsnips and apples. I want to try that soon. I used these same directions for all of these combinations:

 I tossed them with a little olive oil and sprinkled with House Seasoning and roasted at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Just cook until everything is done. If you're using the potatoes, cut them in small chunks so that they will cook in the same time as the other vegetables.

For softer vegetables, like yellow squash, zucchini, and asparagus, I sometimes up the oven temp to 450 degrees. With the sturdier veggies, I like to cook a tiny bit slower. But the temp is really up to you—anywhere from 400-450 can work. I've done them all. Stir after 10-15 minutes. And then watch to see when they are brown.

I had roasted tomatoes the week before to go with grilled chicken. And the week before that, Jessica had roasted vegetables as part of her sheet pan dinner that she cooked for our dinner one night.

Cherry tomatoes, red onion

Brussels sprouts, apples

Well. After all of these pans filled with roasted goodness and after 36 years of marriage, as I pull the last pan out of the oven at the end of the week, Daddy-O tells me, "You know, I really don't love vegetables cooked this way." All I know is that he must love me. He waited a really long time to tell me this. This was the first time I've ever roasted veggies three nights in a row. He was on roasted vegetable overload.

Yes, I will still make roasted vegetables, but not multiple times in one week. And probably not two weeks in a row. A marriage is based on compromise, right?