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Candied carrots get an upgrade in this recipe for the ultimate spring side dish — Charred Carrots with Herb Drizzle!
Many holiday meals for Easter and Thanksgiving tables typically have some version of a candied carrot — usually boiled, sliced, and finished on the stove with butter and maple syrup. While they’re delicious, I wanted to freshen things up a bit with this Mediterranean spin .
The rainbow carrots are roasted in the oven until they’re tender, then broiled to give them a charred, caramelized finish. If you’re trying to conserve oven space, roast the carrots in advance and store them in the fridge. Prior to serving, simply bring them to room temperature and char in a cast iron skillet to warm through.
If you live near a Trader Joe’s, they sell peeled and trimmed petite rainbow carrots that are perfect for this and will save you even more time and prep ahead of Thanksgiving. If not, look for smaller carrots that are thinner so they won’t take as long to roast.
If you have extra herb sauce, it’s delicious on leftovers like roast turkey or pork and other veggie sides.
ingredients:
- Shallots
- Golden Raisins
- Champagne Vinegar
- Rainbow Carrots
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Maple Syrup
- Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
- Smoked Paprika
- Ground Cumin
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Cinnamon
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Fresh Dill
- Fresh Cilantro
- Garlic Cloves
- Lemon Zest
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Roasted, Shelled Pistachios
- Flaky Salt
step by step:
step one: preheat the oven and prep a baking sheet
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
step two: make the pickled shallots
In a small bowl, add the shallots, golden raisins, and champagne vinegar. Stir to combine. Set aside.
step three: roast the carrots
Arrange the carrots on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, maple syrup, fresh orange juice, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, cinnamon, and pepper. Toss to coat well, then arrange the carrots, cut side down. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until they’re tender.
step four: make the herb sauce
Meanwhile, in a wide mouth mason jar, add the dill, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, and salt. Using an immersion blender, place the head of the blender in the bottom of the jar and begin to pulse, blending until mostly smooth. Set aside.
step five: broil the carrots
Once the carrots are tender, turn the broiler on high and broil the carrots until they begin to char, about 2 minutes, watching carefully to not burn.
step six: plate the carrots and serve
On a serving platter, spread a large spoonful of the herb sauce. Pile the carrots atop the sauce in the middle of the platter. Drizzle the carrots with more herb sauce. Strain the shallots and raisins from the vinegar and sprinkle them over the carrots. Garnish with pistachios, dill, cilantro, and flaky salt.
recipe faqs:
You can make the pickled shallots and herb drizzle in advance, then store at room temperature. You can also chop the herbs and store them in small airtight containers until you’re ready to cook the carrots.
Fresh parsley is a great substitute here!
If you’re looking for the perfect holiday side dish, you have to make these Charred Carrots with Herb Drizzle. Let me know what you think of the recipe in the comments below!
Looking for more vegetable side dishes? Try these!
Roasted Calabrian Chili Green Beans with Crispy Shallots
Caramelized Onion Scalloped Potatoes
Charred Carrots with Herb Drizzle
Ingredients
For the Pickled Shallots:
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots, divided (from about one large shallot)
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped golden raisins
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
For the Carrots:
- 2 pounds rainbow carrots, peeled, ends trimmed, and halved or quartered lengthwise
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- juice of 1/2 an orange (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Herb Drizzle:
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup roasted shelled pistachios, roughly chopped, for garnish
- flaky salt, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the shallots, golden raisins, and champagne vinegar. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- Arrange the carrots on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, maple syrup, fresh orange juice, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, cinnamon, and pepper. Toss to coat well, then arrange the carrots, cut side down. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until they’re tender.
- Meanwhile, in a wide mouth mason jar, add the dill, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes, and salt. Using an immersion blender, place the head of the blender in the bottom of the jar and begin to pulse, blending until mostly smooth. Set aside.
- Once the carrots are tender, turn the broiler on high and broil the carrots until they begin to char, about 2 minutes, watching carefully to not burn.
- On a serving platter, spread a large spoonful of the herb sauce. Pile the carrots atop the sauce in the middle of the platter. Drizzle the carrots with more herb sauce. Strain the shallots and raisins from the vinegar and sprinkle them over the carrots. Garnish with pistachios, dill, cilantro, and flaky salt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this for our Christmas dinner and it was the star of the show! Lots of pieces to it but every part worked together wonderfully.
I don’t have golden raisins, should I add any sugar to the pickling vinegar?
I made this for our big family Thanksgiving gathering on Thursday and I will have to say this dish won for most surprised and delighted comments from the guests! Definitely a must try for anyone considering and is already considered a must add to our future holiday menus as well!
I’m making the drizzle ahead of time. Is it ok to leave out for two days or does it need to be refrigerated?
You should store it in your fridge!
Could you use a nutri bullet to blend herb drizzle as opposed to an immersion blender?
Yes, that will work just fine!
I want to bring this to a Friendsgiving. Does it need to be served warm? Any suggestions for tips to travel?
Served warm is definitely best. You could keep all the elements separate (drizzle, pickled shallots, and the roasted carrots) and toss the carrots in the oven or on the skillet just to reheat– then assemble and serve.
Pretty great room temperature too!!!!
Is there a comparable substitute for champagne vinegar?
white wine vinegar should be fine, also!
I made this for our Christmas dinner and it was the star of the show! Lots of pieces to it but every part worked together wonderfully.
Where do you find champagne vinegar? What’s the brand?
It’s usually in the vinegar section of all grcoery stores!
Tried this recipe for the first time and absolutely LOVED it; I normally eat meat often but did not miss meat for a second with this dish. All the flavors are wonderful.
Would it be possible to replace the cilantro with a different herb? What might you recommend?
You can do flat-leaf parsley here
Could this work with a non-cilantro herb? What might you recommend?