Roasted Anything!

I really like roasted vegetables.  Seriously, haven't found one that I've tried that I think hasn't been (dramatically) improved by oven roasting (as opposed to steaming, boiling, straight out of a can).

We've been pretty busy every night this week (a lot of Mariner games) so there hasn't been any need to even think about dinner.  But yesterday, all signs coincided to make baking something new and different not only possible but desirous.

My new oven (see remodel posts) is a thing of beauty and wonder.  I can easily prepare things on 3 large racks - at the same time!  And (since I've actually had a few moments this past week to actually read the owner's manuals that came with this fabulous new kitchen) it has something called "Convection Roast" which was beckoning me to try out this new feature.

Armed with this and a wonderful new recipe from Pinterest (Roasted Vegetable Chicken Pot Pie from Julie May's blog: Menu Musings of a Modern American Mom) I was anxious to try, I knew the time was right!  One rack roasted root veggies (She used potatoes, carrots, pearl onions - which I never have on hand - but I thought about other combinations as well.  I had just gotten a leek in my weekly produce box that I was tempted to toss in as well but my ramekins can only hold so much), one a chicken breast and (15 minutes into the cook time), the third rack held green beans (I'd never had those roasted before - OMG!  I may never eat them any other way again!!!!)


This recipe is incredibly easy - a total comfort food that would be perfect for guests as well (isn't comfort food the new haute cuisine?)  It does take about an hour start to finish (or longer if you think you've got some cooked chicken in the fridge but your husband decides he'd take that for lunch and so you've got to bake up a chicken breast as well) but you can just as easily prepare the filling and then refrigerate/freeze that part of it for a later quick meal.  (You'll want to bring the filling back to bubbling BEFORE putting the puff pastry on it.  Otherwise your pastry will be cooked while the pot pie filling will only be tepid.  Not a good thing!)

So easy, so presentatious!

~later, tw