Roasted Broccoli

Tonight I needed a good side dish to go with our dinner. I checked the veg drawer and saw we had some lovely, fresh broccoli. I'm all for steaming it with a little butter and salt and pepper, but tonight I wanted something different. I turned to Google for a little help and ended up combining a few good ideas into what you see above. And it was delicious! It turns out that roasting it at a high temp creates a crispy texture and a deep, almost nutty flavor. Trust me--you will love it. I don't have exact measurements; I just eyeballed it, so I apologize for that. I trust you can make it work! 

I took two big bunches of fresh broccoli and cut them into florets. Tip: from what I read you want your broccoli to be completely dry, so wash it in advance and make sure you dry it well. Next crank your oven to 425 degrees. Place the florets on a baking sheet in a single layer. Toss with olive oil, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Finally add three or four chopped garlic cloves. Make sure it is all combined and then roast those sweet little florets for 20-25 minutes. They will get nice and brown in spots. You want this because those crispy brown places are divine. When they come out of the oven, hit them with a little fresh lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice. Finally, add a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese if you desire. That's it! We inhaled the whole pan and had some serious garlic breath, but it was totally worth it.