Roasted Okra

On Monday, my co-worker Pam gave me an awesome gift — 11 perfect little green pods of okra from her garden. She recently spent some time away from home and returned to find most of her garden dead or dying from the insane Memphis heat. But she said her okra plants were producing like crazy (check out Pam's gardening blog here). The little okra pods were flawless, not a spot on 'em.

I knew I had to do something simple with these little guys, something that would bring out their yummy flavor without masking the taste with too many other ingredients. And then yesterday, it came to me. Duh. I'd make Roasted Okra:

Though I adore crispy fried okra and slimy stewed okra, I have a special place in my heart for garlicky roasted okra pods. And it's so freakin' simple. Honestly, I feel kinda silly even posting a recipe for this, but here goes.

Roasted Okra
------------------
20 okra pods, washed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Freshly ground dried garlic, to taste (optional)
Sea salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste
Hot Sauce, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

If you want, cut the stem tops off the okra. Or you can choose to leave them on, as I prefer to do (when I eat them, I only eat down to the stem and discard that part).

Toss the okra with the olive oil in a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle with a generous amount of ground dried garlic (I buy dried garlic grinders), salt, and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until pods are lightly browned and tender.

Season liberally with hot sauce.

Question: What's your favorite way to prepare fresh okra?