If you’re looking for some simple and healthy(ish) to cook up in the new year, here’s an easy meal we recently made that we really loved. We started out with this recipe from the New York Times but thought it could use a little something extra – something green and filling and nutritious, and so we turned to broccoli. And then we realized that we could take the same technique used for cooking the potatoes here and apply it to our broccoli, and this was the result. It’s a perfect pairing of carbs, vegetables, cheese, and a little bit of spice, and best of all it takes only a little bit of effort to throw together. Let us show you how to make this for yourself!
You’ll need:
- 3 pounds of potatoes
- Baking soda
- Bay leaves
- Whole peppercorns
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Butter
- 4 ounces of parmesan cheese
- 2 heads of broccoli
- Red pepper flakes
First you’ll want to make an herb sachet, and if you’ve followed some of our recipes before you’ll know that we have a secret, somewhat weird, but still effective way of making an easy sachet. Gather up the ingredients you’ll be putting inside: 4 thyme sprigs, 6 smashed garlic cloves, 4 bay leaves, and a tablespoon of peppercorns.
Then take a knee-high stocking and place all these things inside, making sure they get all the way to the bottom of the stocking. Tie the stocking closed, and there’s your sachet.
Now peel your potatoes and cut them into large chunks, then place them in a pot, cover them with a generous amount of water, and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and plenty of salt to the water. Submerge the sachet in the water and bring the pot to a boil, then let the potatoes cook for around 10 minutes. Use a strainer to fish them out of the water, then mix the potatoes with 3 tablespoons of melted butter plus some pepper. Grate half your cheese and mix that in as well, then turn the potatoes out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure they’re as spread out as possible.
While the potatoes are boiling, cut your broccoli into florets. Place them into the same water, with the sachet still in there, and bring the water back to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes, then drain the broccoli and mix with 3 tablespoons of melted butter and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Grate the rest of your cheese and stir that into the broccoli, then lay out on a second parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Place both the broccoli and the potatoes into the oven at 425°F. Let the broccoli cook for 20 minutes – you can leave it in the oven for a few minutes longer if you want it a little darker, but make sure to check it carefully so it doesn’t burn. For the potatoes, cook for 20 minutes and then use a spatula to flip them over and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, until they’re lightly browned. Let the potatoes cool a little bit, then dish up broccoli and potatoes together and you’ve got yourself a meal!
As we said, this is a wonderfully easy dish: you only have to peel and cut the potatoes, chop up the broccoli, and stir a few things around, and then your oven does the rest of the work. Plus, you also get to be a little crafty and inventive and turn a drug store stocking into a herb-stuffed sachet – which can feel kind of silly, but it gets the job done and it’s much easier than tracking down cheesecloth to make a traditional sachet. The result is some crispy, rich potatoes studded with parmesan cheese, alongside nicely roasted broccoli that’s cheesy and slightly spicy. It’s warm, it’s filling, it’s got some healthy vegetables, and most of all it’s delicious – what more can you ask for in 2022?