Honey Roasted Carrots with Tarragon

Recently the husband and I attended a very grown-up party. The buffet table was piled with swanky things like miniature pieces of rye bread with herbed cream cheese and smoked salmon, teeny tiny crab cakes, and a crudites platter that included three—yes, THREE—colors of carrots. Orange, purple, and yellow. What the what!? I didn't even know carrots came in that many colors. So of course I created a little taste test for myself to see which was my favorite.

Although I won't turn down carrots of any hue, I determined that my preference is the yellow variety. They tasted just a little bit sweeter and milder than the traditional orange carrots—almost like a carrot crossed with a parsnip. They were delicious.

So you could imagine my glee when I stumbled upon yellow carrots at the farmers market. It seemed like a no-brainer to roast them with a drizzle of honey to bring out their natural sweetness. A little bit of tarragon added an herbal note that took these babies to the next level. The husband and I were fighting for the last carrot. (I let him have it because I'm a good wife. Or maybe it was because I knew I'd already eaten way more than he had. We'll never know.)

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Honey Roasted Carrots with Tarragon
Serves: 4

2 small bunches of carrots*, trimmed, peeled, and sliced 1/4"-1/2" thick (about 3 cups sliced)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried** tarragon leaf

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. (Since we're using honey in this recipe, the parchment will make clean-up easier. The honey tends to stick to the pan once it's cooked, and I don't want to spend all night scrubbing it off.)

Toss together carrots, oil, honey, salt, and tarragon so the carrots are evenly coated. Spread the carrots into a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until carrots are tender and caramelized on the edges.


*If you can find yellow carrots, I heartily recommend giving them a try!

**If you happen to have fresh tarragon growing in your garden, by all means, use it here. Just keep in mind that you may need to use more when you're cooking with the fresh stuff.