Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Caper Sauce

May 25, 2020

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve been inspired by Sam Sifton’s latest cookbook, See You On Sunday. When I’m inspired by a cookbook, it follows me around like the novel I’m reading, and I read it cover to cover. I muse over it. I impulsively grab ingredients I read listed in it like cardamom pods and gochujang sauce and chili crisp. When we were packing to come up to the lake this weekend, I rushed through the store, and vaguely remembered flipping through the pages and a photo of two roasted cauliflower heads with capers on top, put two in my cart thinking they would be easy to do on the side of whatever steaks or burgers we made.

My instincts guided me well because we found a new favorite, easy summer side. It’s meaty, its flavorful, it went well with our lamb burgers and our steak tips. And it’s healthy. I woke up today feeling so good and realized it was because of how many veggies we ate, helped by the lick-your-fingers-good roasted cauliflower.

If you’re not already drooling, maybe this will convince you: I preheated the oven to 450, cored the cauliflower, drizzled 2 T. olive oil on each head and salted & peppered them. That’s it. It took maybe 2 minutes. And it yielded showy, warm, delicious food. What more can we ask for from our kitchens?

There also seems like a lot of room for improvisation, with whatever you have on hand. Parmesan with a drizzle of garlic and balsamic? Soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar? They could work on this beautiful blank canvas. A yummy dipping sauce like the blooming onion variety would also work well here. But the purist version is simple and good and sometimes to have a meal really sing that is all you need.

Happy Eating, and here is to finding the joy in this summer!

xoxo Katie

INGREDIENTS

1 to 2 medium heads of cauliflower, (1 1/2 lbs each), leaves removed

2 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

Freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).

Cut off the stem and carve out the inner core of the cauliflower, being careful to leave the head(s) intact.

Place the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle each head with 2 tablespoons oil and rub to coat it well. Sprinkle each head with 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Roast the cauliflower until tender and golden, about 1 hour. Roasting time will vary based on the size of the cauliflower, so begin checking it after 40 minutes. How do you know when cauliflower is cooked through? Insert a small knife in the center of the head to check for doneness. It should meet little resistance. You may need to roast it longer than an hour.

While the cauliflower is roasting, in a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Taste and, if desired, add more lemon juice. When the cauliflower is done, transfer it to a platter. Drizzle some of the lemon-caper sauce over each head, reserving any extra for passing at the table.

Sprinkle the cauliflower with the parsley and serve.

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About Katie

Wife, writer, passionate home cook and mother of 6 living on the Seacoast of New Hampshire. I am constantly inspired by good food, my kids, my husband, running, skiing, being in nature, and reading.