Can I make this side dish in advance?

This dish is best when roasted before serving, but I would recommend prepping some aspects of this recipe in advance to help save time when planning for the holidays. You can boil your potatoes in advance, allow them to cool and then store in the fridge the day before. You can also make the hot maple sauce in advance and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Lastly, an obvious tip, pre-cut your cauliflower and peel your garlic the day before too. Less chopping is always a win.

Is this recipe gluten-free and nut-free?

If using the ingredients as listed, this recipe is completely gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and soy-free.

What can I do with leftovers?

If you intend to keep leftovers, serve the individual components separately to making storing easier. Reserve the sauce in the fridge for up to 5 days. The potatoes and cauliflower can also be stored separately in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Hot Maple Roasted Potatoes and Cauliflower

Description

A plate of crispy roasted potatoes and cauliflower paired with a drizzle of a spicy sweet hot maple sauce. An incredible flavor combination worthy of being on your holiday table.

Ingredients

Scale

1 1/2 lb baby potatoes
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 large head of cauliflower, cut the florets into 1 inch pieces
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
10 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dry thyme
Avocado oil for roasting
1 cup (8oz) dairy-free Boursin spread or your favorite cheesy spread
Fresh parsley for garnish
Kosher salt

Hot Maple Sauce

2 tsp olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprig of rosemary
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp sriracha or sambal oelek
Juice of half a lemon
Zest of 1 lemon

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425F. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Salt the water similar to how you would for pasta water then add the potatoes and garlic clove. Allow the potatoes to boil for 10 minutes or until they are fork tender. Remove from water, shaking off excess water as needed then transfer to a parchment lined baking tray.
Using a fork lightly press down on the potatoes to rough them up a little. Add 1 tsp each garlic and onion powder along with half the fresh thyme then drizzle the tray with oil. Toss to evenly coat then spread the potatoes out in a single layer on the baking tray and bake on the top rack for 15 minutes. Flip the potatoes then bake again for 15-20 minutes until crispy around the edges and salt to taste.
To a separate tray, add the cauliflower pieces and the remaining garlic powder, onion powder and thyme. Drizzle the cauliflower with oil and a generous pinch of salt. Toss to coat then spread out the cauliflower in a single layer on the tray, making sure the cauliflower is placed cut side down on the tray. Bake in the oven on the bottom rack for 20 minutes, give the cauliflower a quick flip then roast again for 10 minutes until the cauliflower is charred on the edges.
While the vegetables are roasting, make the sauce. Heat up the oil in a small saucepan. When hot, add the garlic and rosemary and sauté for about 2 minutes until the garlic and rosemary are fragrant. Remove the rosemary then add in the maple syrup, sriracha, and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and allow the sauce to bubble and thicken for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the lemon zest and cook for 1 more minute then remove from heat. As the sauce cools it will thicken further.
To assemble, spread your cheesy spread on your serving plate then top with the roasted cauliflower and potatoes. When ready to serve drizzle with the hot maple sauce, garnish with parsley and enjoy.

Notes

Boil your potatoes in salted water before roasting. This will help to infuse more flavor into your potato as it cooks. Softening the potatoes also allows you the option to rough up your potatoes, which helps the potatoes crisp up around their edges when baking.

Adding a garlic clove to the water that the potatoes are boiling in will help infuse the water with more flavor that your potatoes can soak up.

To get a nice char on your cauliflower, cut the florets in half and place the pieces cut side down on the tray. When roasting, place the cauliflower on the bottom rack of the oven and this will help the cauliflower brown evenly.

Season to taste. A lot of the flavor comes from the hot maple sauce. You can always season the vegetables further based on your own personal flavor preference. Just use this as a guide.