I have a deep love for roasting food. Potatoes, pumpkin seeds, broccoli, fish, carrots, parsnips, chickpeas, chicken, garlic. You name it, I’ll roast it.

My college roomie and I used to roast asparagus with some olive oil and already-roasted garlic and hot pepper flakes as a snack while we watched guilty-pleasure t.v. shows (i.e. The Hills. Please remember, this is a no-judging zone.) The flavor of the asparagus was so completely different from steamed or sauteed asparagus and the tops were always nice and crunchy. It was the perfect savory snack to be mindlessly eating–it even made your fingers “greasy” like potato chips (of course, this “grease” was considerably healthier than those found in fried products).

So, a couple weeks ago at the farmers market, I stumbled upon these:

A farmer let me sample them raw, despite my hesitation. I’ve never had fava beans, but they seem to get a bad rep on cooking shows for reasons unbeknownst to me. Anyway, they taste buttery and smooth raw, so they must taste 1,000 times better roasted, right?

I put my theory to the test and shelled out the beans. I only had a couple handful of fava beans and each pod contains about 5 beans. I love the inside of the pod–it’s fuzzy and cushy, like that plastic they wrap stuff in so that it doesn’t break (maybe the picture will explain it better)…

tossed them with some EVOO, salt, pepper, cayenne, and a pinch of brown sugar…

Roasted those babies at 400 degrees Fahrenheit  for about 20-25 minutes and tried them out…

I was expecting them to get more crunchy, like a nut. But instead I got a pleasant surprise! They were caramelized and crispy on the outside, but remained buttery and chewy on the inside. They totally brought me back to my college days with Stef (said roomie) and our indulgence of roasted asparagus. Except these were much more of a “finger food” and easier to snack on. Definitely will be making these again, but I’ll be sure to get much more than a couple handfuls of the favas.

They were delicious. I’ve heard of people grilling these inside of their pods, too. Might have to try that out. Until then, I have completed yet another roasting success!

Anyone else here a fava bean lover? How about a Star Wars fan?