Winter is a challenging time for chefs in Alberta. Our short growing season is well behind us by now, and it can be a struggle to find quality produce that doesn’t come from afar.
This very simple dish makes the most out a vegetable that is often misused and abused due to its ubiquity—the humble carrot.
The key to this dish is to seek out good quality local carrots—one vegetable we have an abundance of here. Leave the skins on! That is where much of the flavor and nutrients are. When roasting, don’t be shy of the carrots getting dark—that caramelization is key.
Ingredients:
500 g whole carrots, skins on
100 ml canola oil
1 bunch fresh thyme
100 ml maple syrup
150 g yellow onion, diced small
100 g soft goat cheese
100 g butter
salt & pepper as needed
Method:
Pre-prep:
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Toss the carrots in the canola oil with a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper and the thyme.
- Set on a tray and roast in oven until soft. Turn them periodically. The skins will become dark and wrinkled. When done let them cool—this part can be done a few hours or a day beforehand. If the carrots are large, slice them into batons. If smaller, you can leave them whole.
To Serve:
- In a large fry pan, heat the butter. When it starts bubbling, add the carrots. They should be lying flat in the pan and not sitting on top of each other.
- Place the pan in the oven for 5–6 minutes.
- The carrots will be nice and brown now, and the butter will have taken on a nutty aroma.
- Add the diced onion and shake the pan for a minute.
- Add the maple syrup and shake until everything is nice and glazed.
- Arrange the carrots on a plate and sprinkle with the goat cheese.
