Roasted Carrots

Carrots are naturally sweet and when roasted become even sweeter. They couldn’t be easier to prepare.

I try to make healthy eating as fun as I can for the kids so we take turns naming our food at dinnertime (a la ‘I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato’).

My kitchen assistants

Preheat oven to 400° F. Plan for at least two medium-sized carrots per person. Wash and peel carrots.

For Sliced carrots (a.k.a. ‘carrot buttons’ in our house)

Slice carrots to 1/8”-inch thick.  (These went over like gang busters on Christmas. People were exclaiming things like "I don't usually like carrots!", thought you should know.)

For Peeled carrots (‘carrot ribbons’)

After peeling outer skin off carrots just keep on peeling lengthwise on one side of the carrot to form “ribbons”. Arrange loosely on the baking sheet.

For Whole carrots ("Eh, What's up, Doc?")

            Trim ends, done!

For Carrots, Parsnips, and white Sweet Potatoes

Slice carrots. Wash and peel parsnips (slice parsnips lengthwise and quarter them at the fat end so they end up around the same size as the carrot slices). Wash and dice sweet potatoes small so they will cook as fast as the carrots and parsnips. 

Place prepared carrots on a cookie sheet. Generously sprinkle carrots with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Go ahead and add any spices you would like—fresh or dried thyme is really excellent or throw some Creole seasoning on if you really want to live! Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil (you can get in there with your hands to make sure they all get coated, go for it!).

Bake for 15-20 minutes, stir them around and continue baking another 10-15 minutes or until desired doneness. The longer they go the more caramelized and tender they will become.

I buy organic produce whenever I can and carrots are sometimes just as affordable as non-organic. Costco sells a 10-pound bag of organic carrots for under $4 at certain times of the year! It lasts us a few weeks.