Roasted Carrots

Jeff the Chef
"Roasted Carrots," from Make It Like a Man!

These roasted carrots are so good. They have exactly the right amount of herbs, and exactly the right amount of salt. This balances their inherent sweetness, which roasting brings out. I could have eaten this entire plate.

Roasted Carrots
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Roasted Carrots

Recipe by Make It Like a Man!Difficulty: Easy
Makes

6

servings

Toss it together on a sheet pan, bake, then tumble in herbs and butter.

Ingredients

  • 12 carrots (peeled)

  • 3 Tbs olive oil

  • 1.25 tsp kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

  • 1.5 tsp minced fresh dill, or more to taste (see notes)

  • 1 Tbs cold butter

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • If the carrots are thick, cut them. (See “Social Learning,” below.) Place them on a sheet pan, and toss them with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Push them into a single layer and roast in the oven until browned and tender, 20 minutes.
  • Toss the carrots with minced dill and butter. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  • Instead of the dill, try a 2:1 mixture of thyme and oregano, or equal parts thyme and sage. You can also add parsley to, or substitute it for, any of these herbs or herb combinations.
"Roasted Carrots," from Make It Like a Man!

Social Learning

Yes, I suggest that you serve them at room temperature, or perhaps with just the slightest bit of warmth. They are far superior this way, in as much as all the flavors seem more vivid.

I propose cold butter in the final tossing and plating, because it will take a long time to melt. It will not have melted by the time you’re finished tossing, and will remain on the serving plate, beautifully coated in herbs. Make sure it lands on top of the carrots, so everyone can see it.

You could take these carrots in a different direction with 4 Tablespoons honey and 2 teaspoons red wine or cider vinegar instead of the herbs.

Cutting Carrots

In an ideal situation, the difference in the diameter of the thick and thin ends of the carrot would be minimal, and all your carrots would look the same. In the more-usual case, you can make your carrots more uniform by leaving some of them whole, splitting some of them in half along their length. Some may need to be split into quarters. Some carrots might need to be cut into two or three segments first. The thinner segments can be left whole. The thicker ones will be to be split in halves or quarters.

To peel, or not to peel, that is the question.

I prefer not to peel fruits and vegetables that have easily-edible skins. Carrots fall so squarely into that category that I feel the only reason to peel them is esthetic. So, the first thing I always ask myself is, “Does this carrot look appetizing as-is?” If it does, I don’t peel it. If it doesn’t, but the cooking process is going to disguise that fact, I don’t peel it. The carrots I used for the photos in this post, I knew they’d look better peeled, so I did.

"Roasted Carrots," from Make It Like a Man!
Roasted Carrots

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thank you, Kesor. References: Ina Garten on Food Network, NYT, Southern Living. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #14 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.

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32 thoughts on “Roasted Carrots”

  1. This is a beautiful and simple recipe, Jeff — and a perfect side for so many mains. Or, the entire plate would make a lovely vegetarian entrée. I continue to look for ways to get out of my “asparagus habit.” I’ve done well this summer with beans and now I think I shall turn to carrots. Thanks — a beautiful way to start my day.

    Reply

    • I’ve been wrapping them in a tortilla with some mango habanero aioli, and having them for lunch!

      Reply

  3. Hello, Jeff. My wife makes roasted carrots almost exactly the way you do. Except that she always peels carrots. I’m going to mention to her your thoughts about peeling. See you!

    Reply

  10. Beautiful flavours and colours Jeff. I also like to cook carrots with honey and butter, and when in a hurry with the honey and butter in the microwave. Carrots deserve to be the hero of the table sometimes, just love ’em.Thanks for a great recipe.
    Pauline McNee recently posted…In My Kitchen, September 2022

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  15. We make a LOT of roasted carrots since discovering how delicious they are. I love the idea of tossing them with a bit of butter before serving. Butter makes everything better!!

    Reply

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