With temperatures dropping, roast dinners are firmly back on the menu. While the meat is the centrepiece of any roast, a good roast becomes great when you put equal effort into your side dishes.
Simply boiling or steaming vegetables will do the job, but to truly impress guests, you need to know how to make sides shine. For carrots, there is one recipe that stands out.
A Sweet and Spicy Carrot Recipe
It might not be the most traditional approach - in fact, the first time I told my British boyfriend how I intended to cook the carrots, he was completely horrified - but it is utterly delicious. That very same boyfriend is now a total convert to these roasted carrots. They're sweet, spicy and bursting with herby, garlicky flavour.
Even better, they're incredibly simple to prepare yet taste as though you've spent hours slaving away in the kitchen. I tend to tweak the quantities depending on how many people I'm cooking for, but for a more precise recipe, I love this one from Something Nutritious.
Honey Sriracha Carrots
To try this recipe out, you will need:
- 900g of carrots, peeled
- Quarter cup of olive oil
- One tsp of garlic powder
- Half tsp of paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley or coriander to garnish
For the honey sriracha sauce:
- Two tbsp butter
- Three tbsp honey
- Two tbsp sriracha
- Two cloves of crushed garlic
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C and slice your carrots into two-inch chunks. Toss the carrots with the oil, garlic powder, paprika and salt and pepper. Pop them in a roasting tray and bake for 25 minutes, then flip them over and bake for a further 10 minutes.
While they're baking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add your garlic. Sauté over a medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, then stir in your sriracha and honey along with a pinch of salt. Turn down the heat and stir until everything is well combined.
Once your carrots are done, pour the sauce over them and make sure they're all evenly coated, then finish with the fresh herbs and serve straight away.
