The Fundamentals of Roasting Delicious Vegetables

Vegetables taste fantastic when roasted well. And, it’s a very simple process to master. Here are some tips to getting flavorful, caramelized, juicy vegetables:

• Smaller is better. Don’t cut your vegetables too big. With smaller pieces, you proportionally increase the surface area that will be covered in olive oil, receiving the heat of the oven. More surface means more flavor.

• Cut your vegetables into uneven pieces. This will ensure that some get brown and crisped, some maintain denser texture, and some stay soft and juicy. The combination in your mouth is heaven.

• Don’t put wet vegetables on your baking sheet. This prevents browning and caramelization. So, either dry your vegetables well or buy organic and don’t wash them at all, like I do. Anything that could harm you will get killed in the oven anyway so don’t sweat it.

• Use enough olive oil so that each vegetable is lightly coated in it. This ensures browning and caramelization.

• Add enough kosher salt and freshly ground pepper so that when you swipe a finger across the baking sheet and lick it, you get a wow sensation in your mouth. Roasting will dull the flavors so you really want to add enough before cooking.

• Don’t overcrowd your veggies. If they’re touching one another, they’ll steam off each other and reduce the caramelization process. Get big baking pans and don’t be afraid to use two of them at the same time on convection. (Sometimes you will be doubling a recipe and you will need to overcrowd veggies. If so, cook for longer and/or on a higher temperature so you get nice caramelization.)

• Jack that oven up! The higher the roasting temperature, the more of that delicious caramelization you get. Of course, you also risk burning your vegetables before they’re fully cooked, so play around until you get the temperature right for each type of vegetable. 400°F should be the minimum.