Of all the many reasons to love your sheet pans (and you know how much I love mine), perhaps their greatest feature is their talent for browning. You name it — vegetables, chicken, fish, chickpeas or tofu cubes — if it needs crisping or caramelization, roasting it on a trusty sheet pan is almost always easier, tidier and more consistent than searing it in a skillet on top of the stove.
Eric Kim drives this point home in his sheet-pan japchae. Instead of stir-frying each vegetable individually, he spreads them all out on a sheet pan and roasts them in the oven. He also throws on a block of thawed frozen spinach, which is unexpected but works like a charm, the mineral flavor condensing wonderfully in the oven’s high heat. To finish the dish, he tosses cooked sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon) and a garlicky soy sauce directly on the pan with the roasted vegetables, which keeps the ingredients hot and the cleanup chill. There’s a video, too, so you can watch Eric work his magic.
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Sheet-Pan Japchae
Ali Slagle has her own magic touch on display in her one-pan salmon niçoise with orzo. For something like a cross between a pasta dish and a salad, plush pieces of salmon are cooked on top of orzo along with snappy green beans, sweet tomatoes and salty olives. It all melds into a dish that’s reminiscent of summer yet sustaining enough for the coldest nights.
The summer-winter vibe can also be found in Giuliano Hazan’s soup pot. In his quick minestrone (as adapted by Julia Moskin), he streamlines the usual long-simmered Italian classic by using pancetta for depth of flavor and canned beans for speed. But, filled with colorful vegetables and topped with a little Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, the brothy elixir feels as buoyant and fresh as it does warming and filling.
Here’s another marvelous use for a sheet pan to scratch that chicken-dinner itch: Millie Peartree’s jerk chicken meatballs with BBQ-pineapple glaze. The combination of pineapple juice, brown sugar and ketchup sweetens the glaze and adds fruity, molasses notes to the savory mix of Worcestershire sauce, onion powder and chile flakes. Serve it on a bed of rice or fluffy mashed potatoes for a welcome dose of wintertime comfort. Winner, winner.
Lastly, for a sweet treat that doubles as breakfast, Lidey Heuck’s easy banana bread is exactly as described — a simple-to-make loaf with a soft, moist texture and a warm cinnamon scent. I love a thick slice toasted and buttered, or even spread with cream cheese for a little protein. If you have a few ultra-ripe bananas stashed in the freezer (I always do), you won’t find more bang for your banana anywhere else.
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That’s all for now. I’ll see you on Wednesday.
