Whole garlic cloves and grated Parmesan cheese make these Garlic Roasted Potatoes a simple side dish the whole family will enjoy!
Once the cooler weather hits I’m cranking up my oven and roasting most vegetables [and some fruit] in sight. Roasting is one of the easiest, and most tasty ways to enjoy vegetables. It’s also considered one of the healthiest cooking methods because roasting adds a lot of flavor without much fat or calories.
Beyond health, I’ve been known to please the pickiest of eaters with a simple piece of roasted broccoli or radish. Want to know my secret? Well I’ve got about six of them! So here’s how to make perfectly roasted vegetables [+ one of my favorite roasted vegetable recipes]:
- Keep your oven HOT. Heat your oven to 425-450 degrees. This way the vegetables will cook fairly fast, browning on the outside and becoming nice and tender on the inside. Roasting vegetables in a very hot oven gives them a caramelized, sweet exterior and flavor while keeping the inside moist and tender
- Do not crowd the pan! The more veggies on your pan for roasting, the greater the chance they will steam. So make sure everyone has a spot and space. And if you’re feeding a crowd, opt for two pans and rotate them in the oven halfway through the roasting time.
This is almost too crowded… but notice how the veg is cut in similar size! - Spice it up! A little oil and spice goes a long way with roasting, especially since roasted vegetables tend to take on a whole new flavor alone when roasted. My favorite combination is simple: olive oil, salt, and pepper. The flavor combinations are endless though— so don’t be afraid to add a teaspoon or two of your favorite spice!
- Cut evenly [pictured above]. It’s very important that you cut the vegetables in pieces of about the same size. Unevenly sized pieces won’t roast and brown in the same amount of time, and you’ll end up with both over roasted and under roasted vegetables.
Perfectly garlic roasted potatoes— the trick is to cut the potatoes as evenly as possible. My other trick is in the recipe below! - Stop to stir. Halfway through the roasting process, pull out your pan and stir the vegetables. This allows browning on all edges and lets you see how fast/slow the roasting is happening.
- Vary your veggies. Try adding a few different veggies to your roasting repertoire. I like combining sweet potatoes, onions, and squash during the fall. I also like roasting broccoli and cauliflower together. Again, if you are using more than one kind of vegetable, be sure they have similar cooking times or else you might want to stop halfway through to add the faster cooking veggie.
One you have the veggies you want to roast, add them to a large resealable bag and season! The bag is a quick and clean way to make sure all the veggies get seasoned evenly.
My favorite part about roasting vegetables is that besides cutting and prepping the vegetables, it’s a hands-off cooking method! AND, if you double your batch you can use the leftovers for salads, sandwich filings, and egg scrambles. I especially like to make an extra batch and throw them in soup too.
What’s your favorite vegetable to roast? Mine is potatoes! Here’s a family-favorite recipe for garlic roasted potatoes— a side dish I make about once a week and that BOTH of my boys love. Dipped in BBQ sauce of course!
- 3 russet potatoes, halved and quartered
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled whole
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley- optional garnish
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, add all remaining ingredients. Mix well so potatoes and garlic are coated with oil and cheese.
- Spread in an even layer on baking sheet and roasted for 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through. Serve immediately.
