Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Dressing
Nothing beats being able to use vegetables from root to leaf and that is exactly the case with this dish where the normally discarded tops are used to make a delicious dressing for tender roasted carrots
Ingredients
- 8 carrots with tops, remove, wash and set aside the tops, carrots scrubbed and cut lengthways into quarters
- 4 banana or echalion shallots, skins removed, cut lengthways into quarters
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- sea salt, pink Himalayan salt or Herbamare
- cracked black pepper
carrot top dressing
- 50 g carrot tops (set aside from above), finely chopped
- 8 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 tbsp. honey or agave syrup
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp. capers finely chopped
- sea salt, pink Himalayan salt or Herbamare
- cracked black pepper
- 10 g pine nuts toasted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, gas mark 7, 220°C (200°C fan-assisted).
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Lay the carrots on the pre lined baking tray, drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil and season with sea salt (or Himalayan/Herbamare) and cracked black pepper, tossing well to ensure everything is thoroughly coated. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, removing the tray and tossing the carrots after 15 minutes to ensure even cooking and prevent burning. Remove the carrots from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Place the shallots on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with sea salt (or Himalayan/Herbamare) and cracked black pepper, tossing well to ensure everything is thoroughly coated. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, removing the tray after the first 15 minutes and tossing the shallots to ensure even cooking, then return to the oven for the remainder of the cooking time. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
To make the dressing
- In a medium bowl, combine the 8tbsp olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey (or agave syrup) , lemon juice, chopped capers, chopped carrot tops and minced garlic (use 1-2 cloves depending on your preference) then season to taste with sea salt (or Himalyan/ Herbamare) and cracked black pepper.
- Arrange the cooled, roasted carrots and shallots on a serving platter, scatter over the toasted pine nuts and then drizzle generously with the dressing.
- Serve the remaining dressing in a jug on the side, with some extra roasted pine nuts if you wish.
- Enjoy!
- If you make this recipe, I’d LOVE to see how you get on - so either send me a photo to lisa@myrelationshipwithfood.com or post a picture to Instagram using the #myrelationshipwithfood and tag @myrelationshipwithfood
Notes
LISA’S TIP - This flavor-packed vegetable side dish is the epitome of root to leaf cooking and goes with just about everything. Roasting the carrots and shallots causes the natural sugars in them to caramelize, making them both even sweeter and more delicious. And if you want to make it a main dish in itself, try adding some roasted new potatoes, roast chicken, crumbled goat’s cheese or roasted chickpeas.
This recipe makes more dressing than you will need for this dish, but leftovers can be kept in an airtight Kilner (or similar) jar in the fridge for up to a week – use it to dress other roasted vegetables or salads – or even drizzle it over cooked fish, meat, beans, lentils or vegan substitutes. If you find yourself with lots of carrot tops, then why not try making the rest into a delicious pesto with your favourite fresh herbs?
