Roasted Cauliflower, Potatoes and Chickpeas with Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

London is staring to feel like home. I’m learning my way around town and around my local grocery store. I’ve started to cook a lot. There’s nothing like a simmering stew or veggies roasting in the oven to make a home feel warm and welcoming. I hosted one dinner party since we’ve arrived and served this roasted cauliflower, potatoes and chickpea recipe as a side dish, along with Mediterranean roast chicken. For those of us who love Mediterranean flavors, the vinaigrette on these roasted vegetables is bright and fresh, salty, and lemony. It’s pairs deliciously with the caramelized flavors of the roasted vegetables.

This recipe is so simple. No need to even peel the potatoes. Just scrub them and cube them up. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Open and drain a can of chickpeas. Toss everything in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and cumin seeds, and roast for twenty-five to thirty minutes. It’s amazing what a little olive oil and a half hour in the oven can do to pan of cubed raw potatoes, cauliflower and chickpeas. They come out of the oven totally delicious…and just wait until you taste them with the lemony, olive dressing…

While the veggies are roasting, you’ll have plenty of time to make the vinaigrette. Chop the olives and combine them with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin.

This recipe is adapted from a  recipe in Gourmet Magazine for roasted cauliflower with kalamata vinaigrette that I’ve been making and tweaking over the years. I ultimately wanted more variety of roasted veggies. Roasted cauliflower has a sweet nutty flavor. The potatoes roast up buttery on the inside, with crisp caramelized bits on the edges. The roasted chickpeas have a wonderful contrasting texture to the cauliflower and potatoes – part crisp, part chewy, and super delicious. I added fresh cumin seeds to the mix. They get toasted in the oven with the veggies and add an incredible kick of flavor.

This is a totally delicious side dish. It works with chicken, fish, any kind of roast. It’s also hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian main course.

This post is part of the second annual week-long #PotatoPalooza with my friends Maggie over at omnivorescookbook.com and Elizabeth at bowlofdelicious.com  and sponsored by The Idaho Potato Commission. All this week we’ll be posting delicious potato recipes so be sure to follow along!

Here’s the recipe for Roasted Cauliflower, Potatoes and Chickpeas. If you try this recipe I hope you’ll come back to leave a comment and a rating. I’d love to know what you think