Perfect with Roast Chicken

I'm trying to cook a little healthier for us this month after our month of gluttony (which is why i haven't been posting, I've just been eating. Non-stop) so I've been making lots of different vegetables to spice up our meals. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm in loooove with plain, roasted cauliflower. Toss those babies with some olive oil and kosher salt and into the oven for 30 minutes or so? Yum! Very few make it to my plate, instead landing in our bellies straight off the roasting pan. To spice it up a little, I tried this combo, though, which was fantastic. A tad too spicy for Jamie but he did manage to eat his whole serving with one bite of this, one bite of roasted chicken. I'd highly recommend it.

Okay, clearly by now we've established that I don't really follow recipes all that well. I have a bit of a short attention span, so generally I just scan to get the gist, and go from there. It's also because my chronic disorganization (the bane of my loving and incredibly organized boyfriends existence) means that 9 times out of 10, I'm missing some ingredient by the time I get home. Sometimes, I wing it, sometimes said boyfriend has to run to the store, which is across the street thank god.


So... I didn't have any potatoes. Or coriander. Or jalapenos (thank god). I made everything else just as it should be, and while it was a teensy bit soupy, it was still great. The potatoes would probably suck up that soupiness. Which is probably why they were in the recipe to begin with. Oops.



Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes

Gourmet, February 2004

1 (1 3/4-lb) head cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets
1 1/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño, including seeds
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup water
Accompaniment: lemon wedges

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and place a shallow baking pan on rack. Preheat oven to 475°F.
Toss cauliflower and potatoes together in a bowl with 3 tablespoons oil, cumin seeds, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread in hot baking pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender and browned in spots and potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes.
While vegetables are roasting, cook onion, garlic, jalapeño, and ginger in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until very soft and beginning to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in water, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then stir in roasted vegetables. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
Makes 4 side-dish servings.

Perfect with Roast Chicken