Did you know you can roast artichokes?
While steaming or boiling makes for a classic artichoke preparation, roasting offers a slightly different experience: the artichoke becomes caramalized and sweet, with crispy edges. I particularly like roasting baby artichokes, as they have no “choke” in their center and can cook quickly alongside other vegetables. One note, once roasted, the outer leaves of the baby artichoke can be a bit tough, but the center leaves and heart become very tender and delicious.
For a quick weeknight meal, I sliced up some small Yukon gold potatoes, halved the baby artichokes, and sliced a whole lemon. Make sure to remove the seeds! That’s what makes cooked lemon taste bitter. Halfway through the cooking time, I added a few chicken sausages as well for a complete meal, but that is entirely optional. This dish is more about the method of cooking than an exact science, and it makes for a simple and elegant way to use some of Spring’s best produce.
If for some reason you’re not an artichoke fan, the lemony potatoes are still worth the effort. Simply add more potatoes, or swap artichokes for another vegetable you’d like to roast (like fennel).
Sheet-pan lemony Potatoes and Baby artichokes
Serves 3-4
Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
2 lbs (900 g) baby artichokes or 2 cups frozen artichoke hearts (thawed and patted dry)
2 lbs (900 g) Yukon gold potatoes
2 lemons, preferably organic
3 Tbsps oil (olive oil or any neutral cooking oil will work here)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 chicken sausages, fully cooked (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Trim the sharp tips of and the very bottom of the stems from the artichokes; remove any very tough outer leaves. Slice the baby artichokes in half (they’re small enough that they likely don’t have a choke, but if they do, remove it before roasting). Slice the potatoes into rounds about ¼-½-inch thick. Slice one of the lemons into very thin rounds, and remove any seeds (to prevent bitterness); slice the second lemon in half.
Toss the artichokes, potatoes, and lemon rounds in the oil. Season with paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and a generous amount of salt and pepper.
Arrange the artichokes, potatoes, and lemon in a single layer on a sheet-pan. I like to place the artichokes cut-side down to start, and place the lemon rounds scattered on top. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over everything.
Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, then flip the potatoes and artichokes. At this stage you can add whole or sliced sausage to the sheet-pan.
Return to the oven and roast for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes and artichokes are both golden brown on both sides. For extra lemon flavor, squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon over top before serving.
Serve immediately.
