Carrots may seem like incredibly easy vegetables to prepare, but there is a better way to cook them to make them tastier.
You may feel confident that you know how to make carrots in the oven for dinner as all you need is to roast them with some olive oil, but it turns out butter is an essential ingredient for making delicious roasted carrots.
Rosemary Gill, the cooking school director from Milk Street Kitchen explained that most people “need a do-over” when it comes to cooking carrots and that butter is “so much better than plain olive oil roasted vegetables” as it caramelises the carrots.
She explained: “We use butter and olive oil. The milk solids in the butter caramelise in the oven adding yet another flavour to the final dish.”
Braising carrots in butter helps bring out the sweetness and “adds fragrant nuttiness” to the carrots as well which helps add “life, texture and vibrant flavour” to the dish.
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All you need to do is set your oven to a low temperature to preheat and cut your carrots diagonally so they have more edges, making them crispier in the oven and making them look “magic” according to the cook.
Rosemary explained: “For the best results, cut your carrots on the bias so they get a lot of surface area and more caramelisation.”
Then scatter the carrots onto a roasting tray and add a knob of butter and olive oil, then move the carrots around so they are evenly coated.
If you have an orange on hand, slice it and place it in the roasting tray alongside your carrots as the citrus juice helps caramelise the carrots while they are roasting and also help tenderise and add to their flavour.
Rosemary said: “We roast our citrus. When you have warm roasted orange juice, it just makes a more sophisticated dish than plain fresh orange juice.”
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You should also add cumin to the dish if you have it as well as salt and pepper, as it will bring out an earthy flavour in the carrots and help complaint the sweetness of the carrots.
Rosemary also recommended adding zaatar, a Middle Eastern spice or caraway to the dish as well which will also add complexity to the flavour.
She said: “ Just make sure you add your spices halfway through so they don’t burn.”
Wait until the carrots are halfway done in the oven before turning them and adding the seasoning.
This simple cooking method helps bring out the flavour in your carrots and make them into a mouth-watering dish but also makes them much crispier and crunchier.
However, Rosemary has one final tip for making the ultimate carrots, which is to drizzle the leftover melted butter on top of the dish once you are ready to serve.
She said: “Don’t waste the spicy herby citrusy beautiful butter in the roasting pan. Once you’re done plating your dish, drizzle that on top.”
