“I was looking for a roasted carrot recipe on your site but I couldn’t find it,” a friend told me a month ago and I quickly added “roasted carrot recipe” to my extensive, decades-long list of Cooking because sometimes. I forget myself too. Spoiler: I wasn’t going to write an easy recipe for roasted carrots.
I mean, sure, there is one inside this recipe. My philosophy on roasting a carrot [moment of pause for my gratitude that I have a little corner of the internet where I get to write about things like a carrot roasting “philosophy” and only a few of you will roll your eyes] that it is in the category of vegetables that need to be steamed (see also: artichokes) because roasting them does not soften the centers before they burn. Therefore, we start cooking the carrots in a steamer until tender, then roast them all the way without covering them until they are brown and crispy. You can stop there.
But I want dinner, not something limited to being a side dish. And with that, we add lentils and yogurt. A tangy vinaigrette with lemon, garlic, cumin, oregano, and olive oil is used to dress the lentils and roasted carrots are wrapped in a drizzle of this. Lentils are poured into a pool of Greek yogurt on the plate, carrots go on top, more lentils and dressing and a big fistful of herbs than that and you will try this and completely forget about the concept of serving size. . Is it 4? 2? If you decide it’s just one, I’m not judging, I’m only encouraging, the favor I’m asking you to pay me when I tell you that what’s left, if anything, is shockingly good mixed in an unpleasant way and eaten cold from the fridge.
Something new! I am very excited to announce a special audiobook edition of Smitten Kitchen Keepers, Kitchen Keepers Struck: Kitchen Counter Talk! Available on November 12th and read by me, I hope it feels like you’ve pulled up a chair and I’m sitting in the kitchen with you, discussing techniques, tweaks, and discussing what I think makes each recipe special. Bonus recipe: When you buy the audiobook, you’ll get my signed holiday card with a bonus recipe! To get your card and prescription, fill out the form with your purchase order number right here. [US Residents, 18+. Ends December 13, 2024.]
A podcast! A new episode of my podcast with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, Recipe with Kenji and Debhe went out to be watched by Ziti. You can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts and catch up on any episodes you missed right here. New episodes come out every Monday. I hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoy the conversation.
