Roasted Broccoli with Meyer Lemon and Garlic

Sometimes I have an idea so brilliant that I need to stop whatever it is I’m doing and start working on that idea right away. This week, I had one of those ideas—I would Photoshop my cats into the Kardashian Christmas card. YES. And I did it, but it didn’t quite work out as I had planned because I have surprisingly few pictures of my cats standing straight up, so I couldn’t replace the Kardashians with cats. And then I thought that maybe I would Photoshop my cats’ heads onto the Kardashians’ bodies, but that would take this project from “Ha ha, cats!” to “I think Kiersten is having some kind of mental break and needs help.” So in the end, I just had to Photoshop my cats around the Kardashians, which wasn’t nearly as awesome as my original idea. Isn’t it the worst when you have an idea that sounds so great and then it doesn’t work out?

But then sometimes you have ideas you’re not sure about and they end up being even better than expected. Like this Roasted Broccoli with Meyer Lemon & Garlic! I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it did and we loved it. I make roasted broccoli a lot as an easy side—normally, I just toss it with a little olive oil and seasoning salt, but I thought I would try jazzing things up with thin slices of Meyer lemon. (Why does the phrase “jazzing up” always make me think of someone with a bad perm and mom jeans?)

When I put lemon slices on pizza earlier this year, a few people were a little skeptical about that idea. But if you cut them thin, you can totally eat them! They’re chewy and delicious, giving a burst of citrus flavor to any dish you add them to. I used Meyer lemons because they’re in season and they’re slightly less tart than their non-Meyer counterparts. If the thought of eating lemons just doesn’t appeal to you, you can remove them before eating. But you’re missing out!

Roasted Broccoli with Meyer Lemon and Garlic

An easy side dish that combines broccoli with tart Meyer lemon slices and garlic.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound broccoli crowns, broken into florets
• 1 Meyer lemon, thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch slices; use a mandoline slicer for the best results)
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarsely ground salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Toss all of the ingredients in a bowl. Transfer to a baking sheet that’s been sprayed with additional oil or lined with parchment paper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and just beginning to brown.