How to Roast Mad Hatter Peppers in the Oven

Mad Hatter Peppers are a fun variety of pepper with a truly unique flavor. Roasting them is a simple way to enhance their amazing taste. Find out how easy it is to roast them in the oven without using foil below!

Since my excursion into farming, I’ve spent a lot of time with a lot of different peppers.

And while all peppers hold a special place in my heart, I’ve got to take my hat off to the Mad Hatter.

First of all, Mad Hatter pepper plants are insane. They grow as big as a bush, often reaching a height of over five feet.

And then there’s the actual pepper–I am obsessed with its wild shape and vibrant color.

It truly appears like a mad hat (or bishop’s crown…another name for this pepper variety).

But flavor is where this pepper really shines.

While it looks similar to a Scotch Bonnet or Habanero, a Mad Hatter pepper isn’t spicy at all.

I find they have a sweet, almost floral flavor with a nice, crunchy texture.

This makes it an extremely tasty pepper to eat raw or use in salsa, but I’ve found a little oven roasting brings out the amazing flavor of this pepper even more.

This simple roasting method might just make the Mad Hatter your new favorite pepper too.

Ingredients and Equipment

The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:

• Mad Hatter Peppers: obviously this recipe focus on mad hatters, but the technique will work for any variety of pepper from regular bell peppers, to mini peppers, to hot peppers.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Flaky Sea Salt: I love using flaky sea salt to season roasted peppers, but regular sea salt or kosher salt works fine as well.
• Black pepper

You’ll also need the following equipment:

• Baking sheet
• Silicon baking mat or parchment paper: this is just to help make clean up a lot easier. Foil not required!
• Tongs
• Large Bowl: you’ll also a towel or lid to cover the bowl.
• An Oven

Oven Roasted Mad Hatter Peppers: Step-by-Step Directions

Prepare the peppers

Start by selecting fresh and ripe Mad Hatter peppers. When they are fully ripe, the peppers should be a vibrant red color.

Dunk the peppers in a cool water bath, drain them, and dry them well. A salad spinner works great for this, but you can also just air dry them on a towel.

Next, you have an option: slice the peppers or leave them whole.

If you want to slice them, simply stand each pepper up vertically and cut off each knob of the “hat,” leaving behind the stem and seeds.

Since Mad Hatters are a smaller pepper, I generally prefer to save myself some time and just leave them as is.

Whole or sliced, roast the peppers using the same process and cooking time. They’re delicious either way!

Place the peppers (or pepper pieces) in a large bowl and toss them with some olive oil.

Line your baking sheet with a mat or parchment paper, then spread the peppers out evenly across the pan.

Roast the peppers until they are charred

Transfer the baking sheet to a preheated 475 degree fahrenheit oven with a rack in the middle position of the oven.

Roast the peppers for 12-15 minutes, using your tongs to flip them occasionally, until they are blistered and charred.

You’ll know the peppers are ready when they start to deflate and get soft.

Steam, peel, and season

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, then transfer the peppers back to the bowl.

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or loose lid and let the peppers steam for about 15 minutes. This will help loosen up the outer skin and make it easy to peel off.

Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, pull out the stems, scrape out the seeds and use your hands or a paper towel to rub off the charred skin and reveal the tender, roasted flesh. 

Make sure you do this over the bowl to collect all of the flavorful juice that comes from the peppers.

Finally, season the peeled peppers with salt and pepper and give them a toss.

Serving Suggestions

Roasted Mad Hatter peppers can be used in a variety of delicious ways.

A few suggestions are:

• Add a dash of balsamic vinegar, chopped fresh herbs and crumbled feta cheese to the roasted and peeled peppers for an amazing side dish.
• They make a delicious topping for salads.
• Use them as a tasty condiment in sandwiches or wraps.
• Toss them in your favorite pasta dishes.
• Substitute roasted Mad Hatters in any recipe that uses roasted red peppers like this Balsamic Stuffed Eggplant.

Storage

Store the roasted peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.

I’ve found that a pint-sized mason jar with a lid works perfectly to store a pound of roasted peppers.

Conclusion

As you can see, oven roasting Mad Hatter peppers is a simple way to bring out the amazing flavor of this special pepper.

Next time you harvest some from your vegetable garden or pick up them up at a farmer’s market, I hope you give it a try.

Thanks for reading!

More Pepper Recipes

• Easy Jalapeño Cole Slaw Recipe
• Paleo Stuffed Peppers

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