Best Tips, Recipes & Good Ideas for Roasted Vegetables? Reader Intelligence

During Autumn Vegetables Week, there has been one major recurring theme: The power of roasted vegetables. In our vegetable conversion discussion yesterday, over and over we heard the same thing: "I didn't like [fill in the blank ___] but then I tried them roasted, and... wow. My life was forever changed." So let's talk roasted vegetables for a bit — which are your favorites? How do you like to prepare them? Any little extras you like to add to the mix?

Me, I cannot resist vegetables roasted underneath a chicken. The ones pictured above are mostly young onions and baby fennel, drenched in chicken fat and juices. I only regretted not making more.

What about you? How do you like your roasted vegetables? Any special tips, tricks, or ingredients you are fond of?

(Image: Faith Durand)

Comments (19)

Fall/winter vegetables, drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, rosemary and thyme. Can't beat it.

I'll go through at least two or three periods this fall/winter where this is all I eat for a day or two.

I think carrots and asparagus are my faves roasted with olive oil, oregano and salt.

Roast veggies in bacon fat (or place a couple bacon strips over the veggies while they roast). Yum.

Lavender salt! Toss veg with lavender salt and olive oil.

Brusells sprouts are my #1 fave.

I like to toss everything in olive oil, salt and pepper and then throw sausages in the roasting pan. I season to compliment the sausage.

If they're pre-cooked it's best to use frozen in my experience. Kielbasa is a fave, or my husband's fresh brats or Italian sausage.

We do this with any veg we think will hold up to roasting. One pot meal, perfect for fall.

This treatment works for broccoli, cauliflower and root veggies:

Ina Garten's Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=335&S=0

potatoes, onions, garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers (or whatever vegies you want), toss with olive oil, salt pepper & herbs, roast them all, then while they're still warm, splash on some balsamic vinegar and toss with some crumbled feta - yummy!

I like my roasted veggies with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Very simple but so delicious.

Stuff the chicken 9 (before you bake it) with lemon wedges, then squirt that wonderful warm lemon goodness over the chicken and veg. My favorite meal of all time!

That 9 is a typo... whoops

Roasted green beans are the best. I haven't prepared them the old-fashioned way since I tried this. I like to leave them whole, drizzle with oo, spice of the day, roast and eat.

The best roast vegis are from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc Roasted Chicken Reciepe (which means covered in chicken fat and salt...but otherwise:

Roasted asparagus, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
In a zip lock with canola oil, lots of kosher salt and pepper (sometimes garlic powder). Shaken and roasted high on 400.

A friend taught me to roast broccoli over high heat with olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes. Delicious.

I also love adding onions, bacon, or fruit like apples or pears to roasted vegetables. Smoked Spanish paprika is an excellent addition to white or sweet potatoes, especially when baked in "fry" form.

In the spring I love asparagus and ramps roasted with just a bit of olive oil and plenty of coarse kosher salt. They make excellent finger food for parties and the ramp leaves get so crispy and delicious!

Definitely my fav is roasted fennel, potato, carrot, onion and garlic cloves under the chicken. Right on.

One of my favorites: root vegetables, cabbage wedges, onions. topped with several dollops of duck fat. Mmmmmmmmm...

Toss asparagus with canola oil, roast at 400 for 10 minutes, sprinkle with kosher salt and sesame seeds, roast for another 10 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve. SOOOO good.

carrots, parsnips, onion, potatoes and whole garlic cloves with olive oil, salt and rosemary. It's good hot, room temperature, right out of the fridge, on pizza, in an omlette, with salad greens, with cous cous, in pumpkin soup . . . so long as it gets in my belly, I'm happy.