Roasted Zuke Boats

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A Proper Roasting!

Last week I took a glorious bowl of roasted vegetables to a potluck. A friend asked what I had made, and I replied, “roasted veggies with arugula.” In response, she mentioned firing up the BBQ grill. I was genuinely confused for a moment, then corrected with, “well, the oven, but yes.”

I knew her well enough not to worry about offending her, and she likely sensed a little astonishment. I know that not everyone cooks, but “roasted” seemed like something we all understood, right? Turns out, not so much.  jump to recipe

Even if roasting theory isn’t universally known, I’ve never heard anyone say they don’t like roasted food. To hear “roasted” before any ingredient gives us all a little pause to smack our lips in anticipation of what comes next: roasted shallots, roasted sweet potatoes, or roasted beets. What is it about roasting?

Well, to begin with, when vegetables are roasted their flavor is intensified, especially any natural sugars. In fact, it’s a great treatment for those wishing to like vegetables more, because they not only taste great, they look incredible. Basically, there’s nothing better you can do with autumn veggies than a proper roasting.

If you just wondered what, exactly, a proper roasting was, it goes like this for chopped veggies: Preheat oven to 425°f (220°c). Line a sheet pan with parchment or foil – I have been just loving the reusable parchment I got at my co-op for this. Chop your veggies, keeping them segregated to ensure even cooking, i.e. sweet potatoes take longer to cook than red onion. The size of the chop will also affect cook time, so chop smaller if pressed for time.

Toss the veggies in a little oil. I tend to use coconut oil, but vegetables have been roasting in olive oil for millennia, and I do use it as well. It’s called “extra virgin” though, because it’s never been exposed to heat, which kills its flavor and what you are paying for. Strew your veggies onto the sheet pan, spreading them evenly and not overcrowding the pan, which causes undesirable steaming.

Then, salt. When eating whole, fresh vegetables, we need not fear salt. Their natural goodness includes magnesium and potassium, which regulate the systems in our body. We only started having problems when we stopped eating real food. I use sea, kosher, or pink salt, but never “table” salt.

A cheat I sometimes employ to enhance the beautiful roasted look, is to toss veggies with balsamic or soy sauce in addition to the oil. The onions pictured were treated to balsamic to bring out their sweetness and a recent batch of sweet potatoes chopped on the diminutive side got soy sauce. Because they were so small, their oven time would be limited and might not brown before being done. A little paprika or chile powder will also have the same effect.

If you have a convection setting on your oven – whoohoo! – you are a step ahead. Convection circulates the air evenly allowing for even browning, a huge boon. If you don’t already have it, next time you are oven shopping say yes to convection.

With or without convection, we have gone to the trouble to preheat the oven, so don’t dilly-dally going in! I cannot stress this enough. Get them in and shut the door with a modecom of urgency. It’s a common misstep to open the oven door then fetch the pan, but the oven temp will drop dramatically as you do so. This is not roasting! Get them in, and shut the door.

Cook time depends on many factors, such as size of chop and density of vegetables, but freshness also plays a part. With what I call crudité veggies, or the ones we happily eat raw, you can be more cavalier, and as long as they look roasted are good to go. With your root vegetables, a little poke with a paring knife will tell you if they are done. I say, start with 8 minutes and go from there.

This all does beg the (not very plant-based) question, why is it “roast beef,” yet roasted sweet potatoes? Discuss…