happy monday! i think it’s about to rain here in austin, which we loooove. i made this recipe for roasted carrots with capers and dill yesterday and wanted to share it. and also want to say a few things about the carrots.
first of all: think of this recipe as a no-recipe recipe. the main stars here are really the carrots, capers, and dill. it can be made with as many or as few carrots as you like, depending on what your intention is for them. my main intention was to use up the carrots in the fridge and have them as a snack, so i used just a few small carrots. i prepped them (peeled and then cut them) so they were all about the same size. i drained about 1-2 tbsp of capers and added the carrots and capers to a bowl. then drizzled everything with olive oil and some kosher salt (err on the side of more oil and more salt when roasting veg), then cooked them in the oven at 400F for about 12 minutes, flipping half way through. during that time, i chopped my herbs! you could probably use any herbs you have on hand. i had dill and parsley in the fridge, so dill and parsley it was! but the dill really set off the flavor combination imo.
i think this would be a great recipe to make as a thankgiving side because it takes only about 20 minutes to prep AND cook (depending on how long the carrots need to roast, but it’s hands off) and then you have a beautiful and colorful side dish, especially when blanketed in the herbs.
if this recipe is being prepared for a bunch of carrots, literally and figuratively, then i would definitely add the capers after you’ve cooked the carrots some. i’d add the capers to the carrots when there’s about 5-10 minutes left on the carrots – maybe when you flip them. with all of that said, here’s a simple recipe for the carrots (this recipe has the capers addition after carrots have been roasting because i don’t want any burned capers on my watch). again, the quantity you use will depend on how many people you’re feeding or how many carrots you have. go with your intuition!
ingredients:
- carrots, prepped so they are all about the same size and will roast evenly
- capers, drained
- dill, chopped (i used dill and parsley)
- kosher salt
- olive oil
- optional: lemon juice
directions:
- preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- prep carrots: they should be cut about the same size. add them to a bowl and use enough olive oil and kosher salt to coat them. add carrots to a prepared baking sheet so that they are not touching. put in the heated oven and roast for about 10 minutes, this will depend on how many carrots you have, but checking on them around 10 minutes is a good call. roast until the ends and underside are starting to brown, then flip or stir carrots so they brown on another side.
- prep capers: using the same bowl as the carrots, coat capers in olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt, if needed. when carrots are flipped, add the capers to the oven along with the carrots so they begin roasting as well. they only need about 5-10 minutes to get crispy.
- once carrots are lightly browned or delicious to smell/taste, they’re done! capers should be roasted too at this point. pull out of oven. if you aren’t sure, taste test!
- dress with herbs: sprinkle the carrots and capers with the herbs and drizzle with a bit more olive oil if you’d like.
- optional: drizzle with fresh lemon juice!
- LE SERVE.
cooking with leeks 