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5/6/11

Roasted potatoes with cauliflower, capers & red onions


Last weekend I was going to a housewarming party and needed to figure out something to bring. Once people know you like to cook AND have a cooking blog, it's rather difficult to just bring a bottle of wine. I had a head of cauliflower in my refrigerator and was contemplating roasting it with capers and maybe olives.

But that did not sound fun enough. So I decided to look through A16 Food + Wine cookbook Anna's friend Amy gave me years ago. That's when I found a recipe for Roasted Potatoes and Cauliflower with Red Onion, Capers, and Chiles. I had almost every single ingredient on hand, so quickly went to the store to pick up a few things I was missing and got to cooking.




You can see the ingredients above. The only thing I changed, was I added fresh parsley to the list. And I also decided to peel the potatoes.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Combine potatoes with a bit of olive oil and salt. Spread on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet in a single layer and roast for about 40 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into individual florettes. Drizzle with oil. Season with a bit of salt. Brown the florettes in a pan for about 7 minutes, then roast for about 20 minutes. {I found this step in the recipe strange: I think you could simply roast potatoes and cauliflower together. Magically, however, by the time I cut the cauliflower and browned it in the pan, there were 20 minutes left on the timer for the potatoes, so I added the cauliflower to the same cookie sheet and let everything roast together.}


3. To make the "dressing" for this dish, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan, add capers and let them cook for 3 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and cook 3 more minutes. {The book said to also add red onions, but I decided to leave mine fresh.} Carefully add red wine vinegar, mix and take the pan off the heat.


4. Combine slightly cooled potatoes and cauliflower with red onion, parsley and the "dressing."


You can enjoy this dish warm, at room temperature or even cold. I think it'd be a great contribution to a picnic.


I'm happy to report the dish was a success at the housewarming! The sweetness of the potatoes was balanced by the saltiness of the capers and the heat from red pepper flakes. And it also looks pretty! And vegetarian to boot :)



Happy Mother's Day to my mom and all the other moms out there!!!!!
Since I'm not doing an official "mother's day post," here are a few recipes you can make for your mom:

breakfast/brunch

lunch/dinner

11 comments:

Newness of Life said...

I can't wait to try this. We eat roasted cauliflower a few times a week at my house. I usually roast it with olive oil, feta, and lime juice and it is quite tasty as an entree or side dish. Thank you for posting this recipe!

Delicious Dishings said...

This sounds like a dish I would love for my work lunch!

Unknown said...

This sounds awesome!
*kisses* HH

Rachel @ Not Rachael Ray said...

Yum! This looks so good!

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

Mmm I love roasted cauliflower and that caper dressing looks divine! By the way I'm also a food blogger near DC (Arlington) and have read your blog quite a few times but never said hi before. I think you also know Sala from Veggie Belly? Maybe we could meet up sometime :).

Cathy @ What Would Cathy Eat said...

I want to eat this right now! I will probably substitute olives for the capers. What do you think?

guestperspective said...

This looks great. I have just planted a dozen cauliflowers in our new raised beds and will keep a note of this for when they are ready.

liz@guestperspective said...

And should have left my link...

Olga @ MangoTomato said...

Cathy, olives would definitely work!

Lori said...

I love cauliflower, but always struggle with how to get creative with it. This is such a great recipe. Can't wait to try it!

Anonymous said...

This looks like a great recipe. I never thought of using capers for a main dressing component.
Love the cauliflower-potato combo!