Indian-Spiced Roast Vegetables with Lime-Cilantro Butter

“Closing the oven door and swinging a tea towel over my shoulder is one of the most satisfying movements I make in the kitchen. I love the alchemy that takes place behind that door- how heat on its own- without you directing or supervising it very much- can turn simple ingredients into a meal.”

These words come from award-winning cookbook author, Diana Henry, in her latest book, From the Oven to the Table. This book presents simple recipes, where roasting- or dry heat- is used to bring out the best in ingredients. Instead of presenting complicated recipes of slowly building flavors through various techniques, Diana takes a “throw-it-in-the-oven” approach where dry heat transforms ingredients into golden, delicious meals.

I was attracted to her recipe Indian-spiced Vegetables with Lime-Cilantro Butter due to the colorful array of vegetables that are spiced with a blend of cumin, coriander, fennel seeds and tumeric.

I was able to find lots of colorful vegetables at the supermarket, including rainbow carrots, beets, both white and purple cauliflower, and red mini-potatoes:

After roasting the spiced veggies in the oven for about one hour, place some butter flavored with chili, lime juice and cilantro on top to add more flavor. (You can shape the butter into disc shapes, if desired).

You can take this stunning dish straight from the oven to the table, or serve in a large bowl. Add yogurt, chutney, or Nan bread on the side to make this a true feast!