Oven Roasted Vegetables Made Simple

Deep frying foods makes them delicious to human beings...I'm just sayin'.  I remember hearing that in the post-WWII famine time in Germany the most valuable commodity was cooking oil because you could use it over and over and with it you could render most anything (e.g. roots, flour paste, blossoms etc.) edible.  In the US Southern States (yes I capitalized them on purpose) they seem willing to deep-fry anything from Twinkies, to Oreos, to ice cream, to butter!  The trouble with most deep fried foods is that they are artery-clogging heart-stoppers.

I love fried vegetables (e.g. french-fried potatoes, sweet-potato fries etc.) but didn't want the cholesterol load so I've been looking for a way to use less oil and oven fry (roast) them.  There are a few secrets you need to know to make good oven roasted vegetables:

• Uniform Coating - the vegetables need to be uniformly coated with oil salt and any spices (as you'll see below I use a plastic bag)
• Hot Oven - the oven needs to be at least 450 degrees fahrenheit so the ambient air can duplicate frying temperatures
• Blanching - some starchy vegetables such as potatoes get a much better external crunch if they are pre-boiled in water with a bit of baking soda (1 tsp per gallon of water) for just two minute before coating and putting in the oven

Here is how to make the oven roasted vegetables (sweet potato strips, cauliflower, and onions) we had for dinner with our Cheesy Chicken and Mushrooms:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.  Slice your vegetables into small pieces (no part of them should be more than 3/4 inch thick), place them in a plastic bag, pour olive oil into the bag (about 1 Tbsp for every 2 cups of vegetables), add salt / pepper / spices to taste, and shake the bag vigorously.  Spread the vegetables evenly into a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking pad.  Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, turn the vegetables over, and roast for another 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender and browned.

Serve with your favorite main course.  Enjoy a delicious and healthier alternative to deep-frying!