cedar plank oven-roasted vegetables

Cooking on a wooden plank isn’t only for the grill, and it’s not only for salmon. Roasting vegetables on a plank in the oven imparts a beautiful, smoky flavor, and with very little effort. Chose any vegetables you like. Whole carrots—split lengthwise if thick, asparagus, mini sweet peppers, chunks of onion, mushrooms, green beans, thick slices of skinny Asian eggplant, vertically sliced small zucchini or summer squash … these are only some of your choices. I like including small beets, cut in half, in the mix, but when I do so I pre-roast them. Otherwise, by the time they’re done, the other vegetables have gone way over-cooked. You can even buy those pre-cooked beets if you like.

The method is very straightforward. First, you must pre-soak your cedar planks. If they go into the oven dry, they won’t impart much flavor. They also have a nasty tendency to catch fire …

Just submerge them in water for 2—3 hours before using them. For extra flavor, you can even soak them in apple cider!

Generously coat your vegetables in good olive oil, arrange them attractively on your planks, and sprinkle them with the herbs and spices of your choice. I always use some good-quality granulated garlic or garlic powder and build my flavors from there. Some good choices are fresh rosemary (chopped or whole sprigs), thyme (same deal), herbs de Provence, or za’atar and sumac. You can add any flavor profile you like, to coordinate with the rest of your meal. Try a sprinkling of curry or some dried fenugreek. Mix a little mustard or honey, or both, into your olive oil before dressing your vegetables. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper. Or, instead of salt you can use soy sauce and Asian seasonings, such as five spice powder, ginger, and/or a little sesame oil. If you want to add a touch of sweetness, you can sprinkle on a little brown sugar or drizzle on a little honey, but only add these in the last five minutes or so, or they can burn.

The point is …Go wild and get creative!

You can go with vegetables all the way, or even add a portion of fish to each plank. Dress the fish in the same fashion as you would the vegetables.

You can make up individual planks for each person at the table or make it more of a communal thing.

Preheat your oven to something between 400° and 500°. Place your planks on the center rack and roast until the vegetables are tender and cooked through. 20 minutes is a good rule of thumb, but different vegetables cook at different rates, and of course the temperature of the oven will affect cooking time. I start checking on them after 15 minutes, and continue to check after every additonal 5 minutes.

You can bring the planks to the table, or remove them from the planks and arrange them on a serving dish. I personally think they make a great presentation on the planks.