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These roasted balsamic glazed carrots make a great holiday side dish.
Carrots: The Forgotten Veggie
No one really thinks of carrots when it comes to side dishes since no one really experiments with them.
Sure, we have buttered baby carrots and butter and brown sugar carrots, but how about something daringly gourmet and easy?
That’s where these roasted balsamic glazed carrots come in. Since carrots are naturally sweet, roasting them really brings out the flavor and when you pair them with a rich balsamic glaze, the flavor is off the charts.
They wow anyone who eats them so they’d make a great addition to your holiday table.
Enhance The Flavor
The basic recipe is awesome, but you can go to town adding additional flavors.
I tend to love orange accents with a lot of veggies so I added a little bit of orange zest to the glaze. To my taste, it brought out even more flavor. I’d also think they’d be great with a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon–use either (or both) sparingly. Remember you can always add more.
Also experiment with different herbs. I used thyme, but a bit of oregano or savory would be very good too. But remember to go easy with whatever you choose to use because the roasting gives superior taste and you only want to enhance that; not overpower it.
Prepping The Carrots
When preparing these roasted balsamic glazed carrots, make sure not to cut them too thick. About an inch (2.5 cm) is just about right. Too thin and they’ll burn at such a high temperature and the same is basically true for cutting too thick–although they’d be “roasted” on the outside but underdone on the inside.
And since the glaze they are tossed in contains melted butter, it’s best to have the carrots at room temperature or above when you toss them in the glaze. Otherwise, the butter will congeal and will not be distributed evenly over the carrots.
The Recipe
Balsamic Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots peeled and sliced on an extreme bias about 1-in/2.5-cm thick
- 1 tsp orange zest optional
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Glaze:
- 2 tbs melted unsalted butter
- 2 tbs honey
- 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F/210C. Spray a large baking sheet with non- stick spray
- Combine glaze ingredients in a large bowl. Add carrots and toss until well coated.
- Spread carrots on prepared sheet. Sprinkle with salt, orange zest (if using) pepper and thyme.
- Roast for 40 minutes, turning half way through cooking.
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