Roasted or glazed carrots always remind me of the holidays. I don’t know that glazed carrots is made that frequently outside the holidays, but I’ve always loved them and I wanted to offer up this version which can hopefully find its way to your table at least once.
The flavor profile of this sauce is so good that it makes me want to find something additional to pour it on. I like using black vinegar in this dish because it’s a little fruitier than regular rice vinegar, but not as sweet as balsamic. This tiny amount just helps balance out the sweetness by lending it a bit of tang and also enriches the color.
In another variation on this recipe which is nicely suited for Thanksgiving, I like to add lemon juice instead of the vinegar as well as some lemon zest, and then replace the pepper flakes with fresh fennel or other fresh herbs such as dill or tarragon. A bit of minced, fresh ginger would be interesting in either of these versions.
Roasted Carrots with Spicy Honey Garlic Glaze
Ingredients
- 4 cups sliced carrots, about one pound (4 cups maximum per sheet pan to ensure they roast, not steam)
- 1 1/2 cups cut up asparagus spears (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. avocado oil or other vegetable oil
- 5 Tbsp. salted butter
- 1/3 cup chopped garlic (see Recipe Notes about garlic)
- 3 Tbsp. honey
- 1/2 tsp. Gochugaru pepper flakes (or crushed red pepper flakes)
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 Tbsp. Chinkiang (black) vinegar (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Peel and trim the carrots (or use baby carrots), then cut them on a slant about 3/8" thick. (You want as much surface area to get roasted as possible.)
- Toss them in just enough oil to coat them and spread them out on a sheet pan. You don't want to crowd the pan because they'll end up steaming instead of roasting. I try to keep it to a pound of carrots per standard half sheet pan. Place the carrots in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring and flipping the carrots over when they're halfway through the cooking time. At this point, add the asparagus to the pan, if you're using it.
- While they roast, make the sauce. Melt butter on Medium and add the garlic. Add a teaspoon of water and cook the garlic on Medium for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until it just starts turning light golden brown, stirring often. Keep about a teaspoon of water in there during the process (it will keep evaporating) to keep the garlic and butter from browning too much and the garlic from becoming bitter while cooking it. You're essentially "roasting" garlic on the stove so if you're using roasted garlic already, you can skip this part of the recipe. I keep it on Medium to speed up the process. When the garlic is as mellow as you like, you can go to the next step.
- When the last teaspoon of water has evaporated, add the honey, pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and vinegar. Let it foam up on Medium and simmer 1 minute while stirring. Adjust seasonings to taste and remove from heat. This is enough sauce for 2 sheet pans of vegetables.
- Note: You lose about 40% in carrot volume once they are roasted which is something to consider when determining how much to make for a particular meal. (For example, 4 cups of sliced raw carrots becomes about 2 1/3 cups roasted carrots.)
- When the vegetables are done, toss them with the sauce and serve. This is the final dish with the spicy glaze.
- This is a version with lemon and fennel.
Notes
