Dad's Pan-Roasted Carrots
In an effort to be more kind to the planet, we’ve been eating less meat. It didn’t really start as a single decision, but rather as a gradual tendency, and now we’re down to eating meat a few times a week at most (a little bacon in pasta here, chicken once in awhile). As car-less urbanites who live in a (relatively) small (but more than big enough!) space for our family, we feel like it’s the way we can make the biggest impact.
This wasn’t exactly an obvious option for Eric, a fitness and nutrition freak. If I happened to make a vegetarian dinner, he’d grill some meat to eat on the side. Not that long ago, for three straight months, he followed a strict ketogenic diet, eating pretty much only animal products and the occasional nut. Then he reads one book about the effect that kind of consumption is having on the environment and here we are. Eating more responsibly. Feeling satisfied with less.
But still turning to what brings us comfort. This recipe for pan-roasted carrots is so comforting for me: it’s the only way I can remember my dad ever cooking carrots. There’s no real recipe, either; Eric and I both make them in slightly different interpretations of how we remember my dad making them by request over and over and over. I think he must’ve learned the technique from his many years working in restaurants in Paris, where butter, salt and a little burnt edge never hurt anyone.
It’s all done in a matter of minutes: the carrots are peeled, chopped into batons, then tossed into a hot pan with a mixture of butter and olive oil, sprinkled with coarse salt, topped with a spring of fresh rosemary then covered and left alone to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until they’re soft enough to eat. They practically cook themselves. The carrots release their natural sweetness, which, together with the coarse salt on top, makes them addictive. Kids eat them like french fries and we’ve never, ever had leftovers.
Pure, delicious, simple, easy comfort food that happens to be pretty good for you and the planet, too.
Dad’s Pan-Roasted Carrots
Use more carrots than you think you need…trust me, they’ll get eaten!
a lot of carrots, peeled and chopped into batons
a big hunk of butter (I always use salted for everything but you do you)
a big glug of olive oil
coarse salt
1 sprig fresh rosemary
carrots and rosemary just added to the pan, ready to be covered
Once carrots are peeled and chopped, melt butter and olive oil in a large, flat-bottomed pan over high heat. Add in carrots, toss together with a wooden spoon, sprinkle some coarse salt on top, throw the rosemary now COVER and don’t touch it.
Turn the heat down to medium and leave it alone to do it’s thing for 5 - 10 minutes. You can peek at the carrots or go by smell to make sure they’re not burning but don’t stir them - you want them to almost caramelize.
Once they’re really browning on the side that’s touching the pan, give them a good toss to redistribute them, and cook for a few more minutes. Cover them if they’re still really crunchy or cook uncovered if they’re already soft. Taste as you go!
Once they’re well-browned and soft enough to eat, they’re done! Add more salt as necessary, some black pepper if you’re fancy and BOOM: you know how to make the best carrots in the world.
