I often roasted vegetables to eat as a side dish. They are simple to make and the roasting intensifies the natural flavors of the vegetables. I roast cherry tomatoes, cubed red-skinned or Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed sweet potatoes, sliced zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower.
I halve the cherry tomatoes, cut the potatoes into 1" cubes, or slice the zucchini into ½" thick rounds. I then lightly sprinkle the vegetables with extra-virgin olive oil and Kosher salt. I generally don't mix dense vegetables, like potatoes and beets and sweet potatoes with vegetables like tomatoes or zucchini.
The vegetables are placed on rimmed metal baking sheets which are covered with aluminum foil and then with a sheet of parchment paper. Do not overcrowd; if you do, the vegetables will steam and not roast. They are placed in a 400° F oven and roasted until they are soft and sweet and lightly browned. Generally, I shake the pan a few times during the roasting to move things around.
You can crush garlic and sprinkle some of it in with the vegetables or slice onion and do the same. You might want to add fresh rosemary to the potatoes. Or not. Try different additions to the roasting vegetables or keep it simple.
The vegetables can roast while you are preparing the rest of your meal. They need little attention but once they are out of the oven and served they will be gobbled up in a flash. That's how flavorful they are.
Depending on what you are roasting, you will need between 45 minutes and an hour for the vegetables to be ready.
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