Lauren from Zestful Kitchen Celebrates Summer with Roast Halibut and Sweet Corn

The first cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen devoted to the art and science of roasting, How to Roast Everything pulls together decades of test kitchen experience and knowledge to help you roast everything from meat and fish to vegetables and fruit. We think it's a must-have for any home cook, but don't just take our word for it. Here's what Lauren, the blogger behind the Zestful Kitchen food blog, had to say about it.

When Zestful Kitchen blogger Lauren first flipped through our cookbook, How to Roast Everything, she thought it was only filled with meat-focused recipes. But if there's one thing we learned after spending months studying the technique and developing roasting recipes, it's how adaptable this technique is. It didn't take long for Lauren to realize the same thing. “After further inspection, or should I say admiration, I realized how versatile and comprehensive this book proved to be," she wrote.

In fact, the recipes she was initially drawn to—Roasted Pears with Dried Apricots and Pistachios, Roasted Celery Root with Yogurt and Sesame Seeds, Grill Roasted Whole Trout with Orange and Fennel, and Roasted Mussels—all included roasting ingredients other than meat. But with summertime right around the corner and access to Iowa's sweet corn, she landed on the recipe for Roast Halibut with Red Potatoes, Corn, and Andouille.

“With such a simple ingredient list, it may be hard to believe that this recipe packs much of a flavor punch," she wrote. "But trust me (rather, trust ATK), this meal delivers. Sure, the Old Bay butter does wonders, but it’s all in the roasting, and the method in which they roast the components of this meal.”

So what makes this roasting process so foolproof? It's all about timing.

“The potatoes, corn, and andouille are roasted first in the bottom of the oven (close to the heating element) at a high temperature, creating the most delicious, deep brown sear (Maillard reaction if you want to get technical)," Lauren wrote. "Then the oven temperature is decreased before the fish goes in, which allows the fish to still cook quickly, but at an even rate without risk of overcooking.”

The result is a perfect summer meal that is as easy to clean up as it is to make, according to Lauren: “[It’s] incredibly easy to whip up, [and] everything for this meal is made on one sheet pan, making prep and clean up a breeze.”

What is your favorite summer roasting recipe? Tell us in the comments below! And visit Lauren’s blog for the full recipe from How to Roast Everything.