This simple, flavorful roasted carrots recipe with herbed yogurt sauce comes from chef Colin Lynch of Bar Mezzana in Boston. It's also featured in Season 2 of Weekends with Yankee. Learn more in the March/April 2018 Yankee feature "A Taste of What's to Come."
For a prettier presentation, you can buy small (1/2-inch-thick) carrots with their tops attached. Trim off all but an inch of the stems, then pick and wash some of the delicate leaves for a garnish. Also, for the dinner at Chatham Bars Inn, Lynch used fennel pollen in the seasoning, but this can be difficult to find. Freshly crushed fennel seeds are a great substitute.
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Recipe: Roasted Carrots with Herbed Yogurt Sauce
Total Time: 50 minutes
Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 20 small carrots with tops, peeled and left whole
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Juice and zest of 1/2 medium lemon
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (optional)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
- 1/2 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/4 cups plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon finely crushed fennel seeds
- 5 dates, pits removed, cut into strips
- Carrot leaves, for garnish
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375° and set a rack to the middle position. Toss the carrots with the olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast until tender and caramelized, 40 to 50 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and zest, herbs, and garlic with the yogurt; stir to combine. In another small bowl, stir together the sea salt and crushed fennel seeds.
Once the carrots are roasted, assemble the dish: Smear equal amounts of the yogurt mixture on four to six plates. Arrange carrots on each plate and sprinkle with date strips, carrot leaves, and fennel salt. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
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