Pan-Roasted Carrots

August 14, 2009 · 18 comments ·

Roasted Carrots

Intrigued by the title, I was browsing through Think Like a Chef byTom Colicchio the other day and came across his recipe for pan-roasted carrots. The sheer simplicity of this dish inspired me to do my own version.

Chef Colicchio calls for 16 peeled and trimmed carrots, salt and pepper, 4 sprigs of rosemary, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 4 teaspoons of honey. Sounds delicious, but I want a little less sweetness, so I use balsamic vinegar, and less of it. I also object to peeling the carrots, because I don’t want to lose all the flavor and nutrients in the peel. I also skipped the pepper, but freshly ground white pepper would be a nice addition.

Start with nice carrots, by which I mean carrots that are of about the same size, are straight, and hopefully are fresh from a garden. Wash them, and optionally peel them. Make sure to dry the carrots to avoid splattering.

Preheat a large fry or sauté pan over medium heat with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil. When the pan is ready, add the carrots. Every so often over the next twenty minutes or so, turn the carrots so that the whole carrot is roasted.

When the carrots look like they’re done, add a spear or two of fresh rosemary. Continue cooking and turning the carrots for another five minutes or so. Then add a tablespoon of butter and drizzle them with balsamic vinegar.

As the butter melts, turn the carrots to coat all the way around with butter and balsamic. Much of the butter will remain in the pan, and the rosemary is really only there to perfume the carrots. The balsamic darkens the caramelization and adds its own sweetness. Remove the carrots from the pan to a serving dish and sprinkle liberally with Fleur de Sel.

These things are so good I eat them as a snack!

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  • http://www.tastehongkong.com TasteHongKong

    Nice and simple, I might try to do it by grilling. Thanks.

  • Gareth Mark

    Grilling will do nicely, but you’ll still want to finish in a pan for the butter and balsamic or honey.

  • http://mybflikesitsoimbg.blogspot.com Peggy

    I’ll definitely have to try this! Sounds delicious with both the balsamic and the honey so I may try two batches!!!

  • gina

    yummy I am making these tonight!!

  • http://www.irawvegan.blogspot.com/ iRaw

    These look wonderful!

  • http://thegypsychef.blogspot.com/ The Gypsy Chef

    What a wonderful recipe and just in time for all those baby carrots at the farmer’s market!

  • http://www.lafujimama.com Fuji Mama

    Mmmm, these look fantastic! I’ve been buying big beautiful bunches of carrots at my farmer’s market–now I know what to do next with them!

  • http://www.whineaux.com Whineaux

    Looks great!

  • http://girlgonegourmet@gmail.com April

    I made these tonight– so easy and delicious!

  • http://www.crocktease.com Kelly at Crock Tease

    This is possibly the most delicious-looking vegetable dish (and photo) I have ever seen. If there’s a National Carrot Board, they should put you on the payroll, because I want to eat carrots NOW.

  • Gareth Mark

    Thank you! I’m rather proud of that photo, because it looks as good as the carrots taste.

  • http://www.moulmeinkitchen.blogspot.com Moulmein Thu

    I would love to try making this pan-roasted carrots! yummy :)

  • http://stumptownsavoury.com Gareth

    It’s very easy to do, and you’ll be very glad if you make them.

  • Rebecca

    These were very tasty! I made them last night. Thanks for the recipe.

  • Lea

    These are delicious!! I made them for the first time Saturday. My husband says he loves them as much as he does nachos, and that’s no joking matter. Picked up three bunches of carrots at the farmers’ market yesterday and am eating some right now!

  • Vanessa

    I love roasted carrots and these sound great! I too was not fond of the sweetness I first read of, but LOVE LOVE LOVE the addition of balsamic! On my list for dinner this week!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=661123242 Faye Malarkey Black

    This is fantastic. I return to this simple recipe often. Thank you. 

  • http://stumptownsavoury.com Gareth @ Stumptown Savoury

    You’re welcome. This may be the best thing I ever did. It certainly ranks as
    my most popular post, and even kids love to eat these!