• KOSHER SALT is the salt I reach for most in my kitchen. I buy Morton’s because it’s what’s available at my grocery store, but Diamond Crystal is more popular among chefs. As far as I’m concerned, the most important issue with salt choice is that you consistently use the same kind. All salts have different weights by volume and crystal size; because we salt by sight and feel, the amount you can hold between all your fingers and thumb differs between brands. So use whatever you like best—kosher salt or sea salt, coarse or fine, any brand—just be sure you always use the same kind.
• FAT is usually generated by the process of roasting, but often I put down a film of oil in the pan to minimize sticking. When I do, it’s always vegetable oil, which is economical and has a high smoke point. I don’t use olive oil in roasting at very high heat because it can take on bitter flavors (and is more expensive anyway), but you can if you wish. Butter will burn if the temperature is too hot, but it’s a great finishing fat thanks to the added flavor of the butter solids. I use salted butter because that’s what I’m used to; you can use either salted or unsalted as long as you use them consistently.
• BLACK PEPPER is a good seasoning for almost anything roasted. Buy whole peppercorns and keep them in a decent pepper mill so you can grind it fresh as you need it. You can enhance the flavor of black peppercorns by a factor of ten by toasting them before grinding them. It may not be practical all the time, but it offers a great demonstration of the impact of heating whole dried spices.
• CORIANDER is by far my favorite spice. I use it all the time, often combined with black pepper, which is great on most roasted meats (indeed, the black crust you see on pastrami is usually a straight mix of crushed black pepper and crushed coriander). I don’t know when coriander has ever harmed a dish. As with most spices, coriander is best bought whole and then crushed in a mortar or beneath a sauté pan as needed. (I use it so often that I really should invest in another grinder just for this.) Again, the A-student in the kitchen always toasts a spice before grinding it.
• FRESH HERBS grow in my backyard all spring, summer, and fall. I love being able to walk out the back door, knife in hand, and return with a bunch of chives or parsley or sage or rosemary. And especially thyme. I love thyme and find that it’s especially suited to roasting. Toss a bunch into the cooking fat for added flavor as you baste the meat. (It’s also lovely to look at.)
It should be noted here that herbs are divided into two categories, soft and hard. A soft herb is a leaf or shoot, such as parsley, chives, tarragon, cilantro, or any herb that does not grow from a thick or woody stem. Hard herbs include oregano, rosemary, and even thyme, though some varieties have delicate stems. Soft herbs should always be used at the end of the cooking or to finish something that has been cooked, since their flavor is too volatile to withstand long periods in high heat. Hard herbs, on the other hand, work well in high heat, which is why adding chopped oregano early in the cooking of a tomato sauce has great impact, whereas adding basil early on has virtually none.
• DRIED HERBS are valuable, but time is required to release their flavor. If I have been a diligent gardener and cook, I’ve harvested my herbs in the fall, allowed them to dry on the counter, and then stored them in plastic containers or zipper-top plastic bags in the freezer for use throughout the winter. Herbs you grow and dry yourself are superior to store-bought dried herbs in terms of flavor and strength—and they’re much less expensive, too.
• GARLIC is not well understood in the kitchen, I’ve found. Super strong when raw, its power is quickly dispelled in heat. So use plenty and use it with abandon. Crush it lightly so that its interior is exposed but it remains in one piece, and add it to the cooking fat you’re basting your meat with as it roasts. It’s a fabulous flavoring device.
• ONION is such a powerful force in the kitchen that I think of it more as a tool than an ingredient. Depending on how you cook it, it adds sweetness and depth to any savory dish. Sweat the onion lightly and it adds one flavor; cook it till it’s brown and it adds a different flavor—or, more precisely, flavors, plural, as the cooked sugars become more complex and varied. Add it raw to a stock and it adds still another. Macerate it in vinegar and it’s a different ingredient altogether. Learn how to manipulate the onion and you become a better cook. Roasted onions make a great side dish, too, come to think of it.