I could stare at these wonky characters all day long (current screensaver so I kinda am).
If you do nothing more than roast them with a little olive oil and salt, I think you’ll be really happy with the results. They ask little and give a lot.
Looking at their withered bodies coming out of the oven a deeper shade of orange, I ask myself why I’d ever go messing with that kind of perfection by adding to them. The truth is, you don’t have to; you can eat them just as they are right out of the oven — warm, aromatic and textured with caramelized chewy bits — they go down like candy.
If you feel up to the adventure and want to try something a little different for the holidays, I’ve included a yogurt-tahini sauce that pairs beautifully with the earthen flavour of the roasted carrots (and nearly everything else in the fridge, so good) and added some pumpkin seeds and pops of tart crunchy pomegranate arils.
I still haven’t decided whether this presentation is festive or vulgar.
I tossed it out to the boys for consideration as I sometimes do — my husband said it looked jazzy — my youngest said it was super cool, “not vulgar at all” and my eldest said that while he thought it had artistic merit, he nevertheless felt it might be more at home on the set of an Ari Aster film.
So there you have it.
I’ll let you decide on the plating. Either way, it’s delicious and full of possibilities (and besides, who doesn’t like a little folk horror around the dinner table).
- For the Carrots
- 12-16 organic field carrots - (the long slim'ish kind with tops and dirt!)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- couple cracks/twists of salt & pepper
- For the Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
- 4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) tahini paste
- 3 Tbsp plain unsweetened yogurt (I used 2% fat)
- 1-2 garlic cloves, to taste (we like 2 but it is garlicky!)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup or honey (or sweetener of choice)
- ⅓ - ½ tsp salt, to taste (best to start with ⅓ tsp)
- pinch of pepper
- 1-3 Tbsp water (see instructions)
- Preheat oven to 425 F
- Wash carrots throughly (no need to peel if using organic); pat them dry and lay them out onto a baking sheet (I don't use paper) making sure they're sitting fully (not overlapping or suspended in air - trimming the green tops as necessary - love the look so I try to preserve about 3 inches).
- In a small pinch bowl combine olive oil, salt and pepper
- Drizzle oil mixture over raw carrots and use your fingers to intermingle making sure all parts of the carrots have been coated.
- Place carrot tray in the oven for 25-35 minutes (depending on your oven temp, you want them cooked without being overdone/mushy -- they should be wrinkly with some browning especially towards the tips)
- Meanwhile prep the yogurt-tahini sauce: in a small (ideally) blender or processor combine: tahini paste, yogurt, 1 or 2 cloves of garlic to taste, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup (or sweetener of choice), ⅓ tsp salt, pinch of pepper and 1 Tbsp of water -- blend ingredients together until smooth adding more water 1 Tbsp at a time as required to desired consistency (the amount of water will depend on the thickness of your yogurt/tahini -- you want the final mixture to be dilute enough to drizzle over carrots but not too thin).
- Taste the yogurt-tahini sauce making any seasoning adjustments desired (sour, salty, sweet, etc).
- The yogurt-tahini sauce can be made a couple days in advance and stored in a covered container in fridge (leftovers can also be stored) nb: garlic tends to become more piquant with time - be sure to bring the yogurt-tahini sauce to room temp before drizzling over warm carrots (if the sauce is too thick at room temp coming out of fridge, add a little water).
Gorgeous, not vulgar at all. Love the dressing too, will give it a go tonight.
hope you enjoy Eva!
Super beau et super bon 😋
Graines de tournesol au lieu de citrouille
J’ai toujours des graines de pomme grenade
puisque ma salade préférée est
avec orange, grenade, fenouil, beaucoup de menthe
et huile d’olive .
yay!! bien réussi ma tante, bravo ♥️ merci pour le suivi, x
I actually think the look is super cool! But I understand how you feel, sometimes I go Pollock on a dish and then wonder if I over-did it… but the way you added the sauce in strips, ended up quite striking and unusual.. I LOVE IT
sometimes i go Pollock, haha… i love you.
ps: we’ve been feasting on the GBBS which you got me into… always think of you… so addictive. soggggé bottom
I love roasted carrots but mine are so boring compared to yours. Love the drizzle of tahini sauce! Aesthetically is makes a beautiful presentation. Bet it really lifts up the flavor of the roasted carrots. What a simple and delicious little side dish. And you presentation is very festive, not vulgar at all. I have to admit that I had to look up Ari Aster. Now that I see he is a horror film maker, I understand your comment better. Not a fan of horror movies. Rosemary’s Baby freaked me out, so that’s really past my limit. :)
haha, love it, yeah no accounting for cinematic taste… i accompanied my husband to the new james bond movie last night, he loved it, i spent the first hour sleeping and the second hour reading in the lobby 😂 (three hours long!!) i wanted to go see Lamb :)) but it wasn’t playing near us.