Snail Shell Spiral Dish (Printable)

Colorful roasted vegetables arranged in a graceful spiral with creamy goat cheese and herbs.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 small eggplant, thinly sliced lengthwise
02 - 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
03 - 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
04 - 1 yellow squash, thinly sliced lengthwise
05 - 1 small carrot, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise

→ Cheese & Dairy

06 - 3.5 oz goat cheese, softened
07 - 2 tbsp crème fraîche

→ Herbs & Seasonings

08 - 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
09 - 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
10 - 2 tbsp olive oil
11 - ½ tsp sea salt
12 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Garnish

13 - 1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
14 - Microgreens, for garnish (optional)

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - Lightly brush the vegetable slices with olive oil and season evenly with sea salt and black pepper.
03 - Arrange the vegetable slices in a single layer on the prepared baking tray. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes until tender and pliable but not browned. Allow to cool slightly.
04 - Combine goat cheese, crème fraîche, chopped basil, and thyme in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and well integrated.
05 - On a large serving plate, spread a thin layer of the cheese mixture starting from the center and spiraling outward to form a base.
06 - Starting at the center, layer the roasted vegetable slices in a continuous overlapping spiral over the cheese, alternating colors for an appealing visual effect.
07 - Sprinkle toasted pine nuts over the spiral and adorn with microgreens if desired. Serve at room temperature.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It looks impossibly elegant but takes less than an hour from start to finish, making you look far more accomplished than you actually are
  • Every vegetable gets perfectly tender and slightly caramelized, creating layers of subtle flavor that somehow taste better together than apart
  • The creamy goat cheese mixture acts like an edible canvas, bringing everything into harmony with fresh herbs and a whisper of tang
02 -
  • The key to this dish isn't fancy technique—it's roasting your vegetables just until they're tender enough to work with but still holding their shape and color. Overroast them and they'll fall apart when you try to arrange them. Underroast them and they'll crack and resist your attempts at beautiful layering.
  • Cold goat cheese and crème fraîche won't blend smoothly together. Take them out of the fridge at least 20 minutes before mixing. This small step makes the difference between a lumpy mixture and something that spreads like silk.
03 -
  • Use a mandoline slicer for vegetables if you have one—it creates uniform thickness that roasts evenly and stacks perfectly. But if you don't have one, a very sharp knife and patience work just as well. The most important thing is consistency in thickness, not the tool you use.
  • Toast your pine nuts in a dry skillet for just 2–3 minutes, shaking constantly. They go from perfect to burned in seconds, but those few minutes of toasting make them taste exponentially more interesting and add genuine textural magic to the final dish.
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