Simple Roasted Whole Carrots

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Whole roasted carrots with olive oil, a delicious and simple way of roasting carrots.

 

ROASTED RAINBOW CARROTS

This roasted whole carrots recipe is one of my go-to recipes whenever I need an impressive looking yet simple to make carrot side dish!!!

This or boiling frozen peas and carrots in water. And I like these roasted rainbow carrots much better: they are sweet, slightly crunchy and it makes the most out of that delicious roasted carrot flavor.

 

 

ROASTED WHOLE CARROTS

I used to be a “salad as a side dish” person for a very long time and made cooked vegetables side dishes mostly when cooking German dishes that always come with one or two vegetable sides, things like the above mentioned peas and carrots, the German Stewed Red Cabbage with Red Wine, Brussels sprouts in white sauce or cooked green beans.

This is the typical way of German eating, I would say: a meat/fish dish accompanied by boiled potatoes and cooked vegetables. This sounds very basic, there are, of course, countless variations on this theme, but if I was to put it in one sentence, that would be it.

 

 

Different from the Romanian way of cooking and eating I grew up with. Dishes that were mostly a one-pot stewy affair accompanied mostly by fresh chopped vegetables when in season or by pickled vegetables in winter.

As my husband’s taste buds are not familiar (and refuse to become familiar) with pickled vegetables, unless they are sweet-and-sour gherkins (sweet being the only reason he likes them), I went for salads and you will find a salad on our table almost every day.

 

 

HOW TO MAKE WHOLE ROASTED CARROTS

However, lately I got into cooking veggies as side dish more often. And roasted vegetables are so much better than just boiled ones, aren’t they? Just a bit of olive oil, some spices and you’re done.

This is a very basic recipe for roasting not only carrots, but countless other vegetables, try Brussels sprouts, broccoli or cauliflower florets, even green beans can be perfectly roasted in the oven in this very simple manner. The only thing you have to keep in mind is to adjust the roasting time accordingly.

Carrots:

• Use similar sized carrots and if there are some larger ones in the bunch, halve them lengthways. I like using rather thin carrots for this purpose, but if all I have are thick ones, then I just halve or quarter them lengthways.
• I used these beautiful rainbow carrots because I happened to find them at the supermarket, which is kind of miracle around here. However, regular carrots will do just as well.
• Take 3 or 4 carrots per person, depending on their size. Make sure the roasting pan is large enough to hold the carrots in a single layer.

Spices:

• And when it comes to spices there is really no limit. Choose coriander, cumin or za’atar for a Middle Eastern version, sweet and hot paprika for a more Eastern European one, oregano or other herbs and some lemon zest for a Mediterranean touch, turmeric, garam masala or any curry powder you like for an Indian flavor.
• Whatever combination you choose, I can assure you the vegetables will be delicious!

Olive oil:

• Use a little olive oil, but do not overdo it, the carrots should all be glistening with oil after you have rubbed them, but they should not sit in little pools of oil.

 

 

Roasting the whole carrots:

• Peel the carrots or scrub them very well if they are organic and the peel looks fine. Dry them very well with kitchen paper.
• Place the carrots in a roasting pan large enough to hold them all in a single layer.
• Rub them well to coat them with the olive oil and other spices, if using. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
• Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and roast the carrots for 10 minutes.
• Remove the foil, shake the pan and continue roasting the whole carrots for 10 more minutes.
• Shake again and cook for further 6-7 minutes until the carrots are done to your liking, they should be softer but still retaining a crunch.
• After the initial 10 minutes roasting time, check the carrots often to see when they are done to your liking.
• Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with Roast Beef, Roasted Whole Chicken, Slow-Cooked Turkey Legs, Lamb Shoulder and so on.

 

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