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Here's what happened. Kim says:

For our New Year's dinner, I impressed our friends (and myself) with an amazing menu. But what impressed me the most was something completely accidental. Rewind to our Christmas Eve dinner...

... I'd stuffed a hen with onions, orange wedges, thyme, sage, and rosemary, and I had a few leftover orange wedges. I put them in the roasting pan with the bite-sized creamer potatoes just to see how they would turn out. Surprise! The oven didn’t dry them out, and the heat seemed to intensify the sweetness.

Fast-forward to New Year's Eve.  I tossed orange wedges with a little olive oil, kosher salt, and thyme and roasted them at 350° for about 30 minutes. I served them as a side dish and they were a hit! The sweet and savory combination is unexpectedly bright and light.

We're having friends for brunch this coming Sunday and we're going to serve the roasted oranges alongside huevos rancheros. I also made them with our salmon dinner last night. They're a nice citrus complement with fish without being super sweet.

Here's Kim's full New Year's Eve Menu - it impressed us too!

• Danish bleu cheese on sliced baguette, toasted and drizzled with rosemary honey
• King crab legs with spicy white wine and butter sauce
• Baby greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette and shaved Asiago
• Roasted capon, sautéed asparagus, roasted baby potatoes, and roasted oranges
• Pears poached in sweet marsala and served with vanilla ice cream

We are also intrigued by this idea of roasting oranges. We love roasted grapes and other roasted fruit, so we are curious to try this. If you want to experiment with this new idea from Kim, here are her directions.

Roasted Orange Wedges

Heat the oven to 350°. Use spray-on canola oil, table salt, and a little mixed Italian seasoning (dry). I prefer fresh herbs, but that's what I had on hand.

They take about 20 minutes to roast. I go by how they look: puffy, sweaty, and pith slighly browned.

I'm planning to try adding variations with vinegar and wine: balsamic vinegar,either Madeira or Marsala wine, and sherry.

Related: Quick Dessert: Grapes Roasted with Walnut Oil