THIS IS A SECRET. Roasting cauliflower makes it delicious. Just cut up an entire head and assemble on a baking sheet. Slather on the extra virgin olive oil and use your hands to coat each piece…
Flatten them out and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Go light on the salt if you’re cooking for toddlers since too much salt isn’t good for growing kidneys. Pop it into an oven at 425 for about 30 minutes, flipping once. When the cauliflower is browned at the edges, it’s ready. Add a little more salt to the adults’ plates and watch everyone ask for more. Really. On that note, a large cauliflower will feed a family of three or four. After you’ve tried this once, you might become a two-cauliflower family.
With the oven already fired up, roasting the bird was the only way to go. I tried a recipe inspired by Gwyenth Paltrow’s GOOP. She took the bones out of her chicken, which I did not and here’s why. When it comes to handling poultry (or meat of any kind) my policy is the less touching the better. But I did squeeze on a lemon, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle on the extra virgin olive oil and wedge a few garlic cloves into the crevices. Also, my whole chicken is flattened above because that’s how they come in our grocery store now. This is certainly preferred to the old way. Besides, there are kiddies in the kitchen and I can’t be up to my elbows in chicken skin when I might need to hand someone a pacifier at any moment.
As it turns out, this dinner was a winner. You might say, winner, winner chicken dinner, though people could make fun of you for being old. Either way, I’m thrilled to report a successful dinner of roasted chicken plus cauliflower on this occasion. Again, a princess dress may have swayed the results but trust me when I say this: I’ll stack the cards in my favor every time.
Love this (thankful for all the veggie ideas I can get), love the pics, and also love that “Bar” is at the top of your list of “what works.” “Bar” is BIG in our household, too. Sigh. I tried making a homemade version (something kind of like a sticky granola bar), but it wasn’t all that successful. Maris likes the neatness of the packaged version, I think. If you can come up with something DIY that looks like packaged, please post it for us!
On it! I think maybe a little wrapper might be in order. We’ll see. But honestly, I’ve done tons of baked items but NONE of them are ever as popular as the nasty store-bought stuff. Fairly certain those are sprinkled with crack…
Amazing. I tried this tonight and Zoe was literally reaching across the table for more cauliflower. This from the girl who never eats ANYTHING let alone a pure vegetable. I actually didn’t even roast them enough, so next time she will REALLY go for it. Max of course stuffed himself on everything and actually picked out the head of cauliflower at the store (one of his favs, even just steamed). Ahhh thank you bella!! xx
Just found your site – LOVE IT! You have my philophies down pat.
My problem is not my daugther – who has a wonderful little palette in her 17 month old mouth. It’s my husband. I wonder if he would eat this cauliflower? Not sure – maybe I could do a cauliflower/brocolli mix. I love the flattened chicken, and how both items fit on a half-sheet pan and into the oven. I will be asking for my chickens flattened from now on!