Roasted Carrots

It seemed that Nantes carrots were arriving every week. We try to add some diced or sliced carrots to the salad each evening (along with the yummy radishes!) but sometimes we feel like there are more carrots than we can use.

Such are the times to remember the beauty of roasted vegetables. This week's carrots got roasted as a side instead of raw in the salad. This was the second batch of roasted carrots. Last week's carrots got peeled but were left whole. This week's carrots were just cleaned and cut into 1 inch slices. Both were good. Roasting vegetables is so simple yet it brings out so many complex flavors. Carrots, asparagus, parsnips, potatoes, onions are all excellent candidates. Alice Waters, as usual, provides the best guidance:

Cook the vegetables in a hot oven preheated to 400 degrees. A lower temperature will dry out the vegetables while they cook, making them leathery before they are done; a higher temperature will burn them before they are cooked all the way through. Stir the vegetables a few times while they are cooking, turning those along the edges into the center. Cook them until they are tender and nicely browned here and there. Don't let them get too far: a little browning makes them sweeter, but if you let them get too dark they will taste bitter.

When the vegetables are done you can also add some fresh herbs. With carrots, thyme is a good choice.