Broccoli is a journeyman vegetable. Consistent and dependable, it does exactly what you ask of it every time, without requiring much fanfare or an overly precious cooking method. The stalks can be cooked in a myriad of ways, most of which are pretty good, but roasting has the best effort-to-reward ratio—especially if you roast them slowly.
Until recently, I was all about the high-temp roast, because I am a woman who loves the crispy bits and craves all the flavors brought about by the Maillard reaction. When roasting at 400℉ or more, however, sometimes the fluffy ends start to burn before the stalk has softened. I recently found a solution for this problem while reading this extensive brocc doc (short for “broccoli document”) from Food52, which extolls the virtues of slower, more sensual broccoli roasting. The brocc doc’s writer promises slow roasting will produce tender stalks with, “concentrated flavor and lots of crispy bits, almost like French fries.”
Excited by the concept of French fry broccoli, I chopped a head into florets, tossed it with enough olive oil to coat (around 3 tablespoons), and salted it heavily (a little more than 1/4 teaspoon). I roasted it at 325℉ for about 45 minutes on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Then I ate half of it directly off of the rack while standing in the kitchen, because it ruled.
(Note: I was using the convection setting on my oven, which speeds things up a little. Conventional ovens may take up to an hour to get your slow-roasted broccoli where you want it, but it is worth the wait.)
Likening it to French fries might be a stretch, but Food52 wasn’t kidding about the concentrated flavor, nor the crispy texture. The slow-roasted results were deeply savory, with lots of browning on both ends and perfectly tender-crisp stalks.
Further tips for broccoli success
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Beyond dropping the temperature and extending the cook time, there are three additional moves you can make for better roasted broccoli.
The first is to elevate it off the sheet pan while cooking using a wire rack. This increases the air flow around the florets and allows the moisture released by the steaming vegetable to drip down and away, keeping your broccoli from getting soggy.
You’ll also want to use a little more oil than seems decent. Rather than stick to a strict measurement, glop on enough that the florets look “wet” with oil. This will maximize the amount of crispy browned bits, and likewise, maximize the flavor.
Finally, try and keep the florets roughly the same size to ensure they finish roasting around the same time. That said, if you want a mixture of super dark and crispy pieces and larger, juicier stalks, then by all means, get a little wild with your sizing. Broccoli may be a journeyman, but even journeyman deserves a bit of excitement from time to time.