Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic and Thyme

I know the thought of eating cauliflower can prime the gag reflex on even the most adventurous of eaters.  For me cauliflower is a take it or leave it proposition.  On its own, it has a bland taste.  I usually add liberal amounts of butter, salt and pepper.  Or I smother it in cheese sauce.  But, our friend Joanie introduced us to roasted cauliflower.  Roasting caramelizes the cauliflower, bringing out a nutty, rich flavor.  Here is how I made it last weekend.

After picking up a nice head of cauliflower at the local farm market, Hope broke it down into medium sized florets, washed, and dried.  I added 1/2 of a thinly sliced sweet onion.  Then, I made a olive oil slurry to coat the cauliflower:

Enough olive oil to liberally coat your florets.  I used about 1/4 cup for this head
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp of rubbed, whole thyme
A generous grind of sea salt and pepper

Joanie added hot pepper flakes to her olive oil mix.  You can do so if you like some heat.  I imagine you could experiment with any spice mix that you desired.

I took the olive oil slurry, poured over the cauliflower and onion, tossed to coat everything, then spread into one layer on a cookie sheet.

I then placed on the top rack of our smoker at 350 F and roasted for 1.5 hours.  After 45 minutes, I went out and mixed up the florets on the sheet to promote even browning.  Here is what they looked like when they were done.

The pieces with the most brown were the best.  Sweet and caramelized with a bit of crunch.  This roasted cauliflower tastes nothing like its steamed cousin.  Go ahead, give it a try.  You won't be disappointed.  I eat this stuff like buttered popcorn.

In the coming weeks, I will be posting some other recipes that you can create with this roasted treat.  Check back to see what we will do.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill