Whole Baked Cauliflower with BBQ Rodeo Butter

Whole roasted cauliflower was very trendy a few years ago and I was sucked in. It sounded great. It looked beautiful. But every recipe I tried ended up being deeply underwhelming. They were usually tasteless, dry, charred on the outside and raw on the inside or all of the above.

I don't know why I didn't give up, but eventually I found the trick. First, it needs to be blanched to ensure even cooking. Just baking from raw can often mean the whole head dried out before the middle is done. Also, if you blanch in salted water, you ensure more even seasoning, rather than just the outside being salted. Marinating the whole head of cauliflower in seasoned butter doubles down on seasoning the whole head, not just the florets, with the final roast just a quick sear to get that crispy bite that only roasting brings.

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and salt the water generously. Add the cauliflower and simmer until just tender, about 5-6 mins
3.  Drain the cauliflower, place on an oiled baking tray and pat dry.
4. Meanwhile, combine the BBQ Rodeo butter ingredients in a bowl.
5. While the cauliflower is still warm, spread with the paprika butter. You can bake immediately or you can cover the cauliflower and leave it to marinade for up to 24 hours in the fridge. 
6. Roast at 200c for 20-25 mins, basting with the cauliflower juices halfway through. You want the edges of the cauliflower head to start to brown all over.
7. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 20g of butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and 1 teaspoon of BBQ Rodeo Rub and fry until lightly toasted and golden; season. 
8. Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then mix with the rough-chopped  parsley.

To Serve:

To serve, scatter over the breadcrumb mixture and leave to soak into the buttery juices before serving.