Recipe: Roasted shrimp

If you're a regular reader of Go Ask Mom's recipes, which we feature every Friday, you'll know that I like to roast stuff.

Here's what I love about roasting: It's simple and there's no need to constantly tend to something on the stove. I can just stick this in the oven for the required time and it's done. That comes in handy as I have a restless three-year-old under foot.

The other thing I love about this recipe is that it's so easy to make ahead. You can eat the shrimp chilled on their own or with a sauce. Or you can toss it in a pasta salad, taco or other dish. My family loves a simple cold pasta salad with chopped tomatoes, olive oil, capers, black olives, and shrimp or chicken. Sometimes I sprinkle in some feta cheese if I have it on hand.

And while shrimp can be pricey, I often stock up when the frozen, uncooked shrimp is on sale. Harris Teeter, from time to time, has a buy two bags, get three free deal.

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Thaw the shrimp if frozen and then peel and devein it. Leave the tails on. I usually get the "easy peel" variety, which means the veins are mostly gone. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the shrimp on the sheet in one layer. The foil isn't necessary, it just makes the clean up a bit easier.

Drizzle the olive oil on top of the shrimp and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. I never measure any of it out, but Garten recommends using one tablespoon of olive oil and a 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Roast for eight to 10 minutes. As the Ina Garten recipe says, the shrimp are ready when they just turn pink and are firm and cooked through.