Balsamic roasted carrots are so simple and yet so tasty. Roasting roots vegetables concentrates their sweetness. Balsamic glaze pushes them over the top.
A well executed main deserves a well executed side. Boiling some carrots and tossing some butter on them. That’s OK but it isn’t great.
Maybe for a Tuesday night dinner. But not for Saturday. Not for guests. And definitely not for holidays. For holidays you want something special. Something that stands up to your wonderful main course.
Balsamic roasted carrots aren’t really much more work. But so much better. There’s something magic about roasting root vegetables.
You can roast just about any root vegetable
Roasting root vegetables deepens the flavour. Adds a new dimension. Think boiled chicken. Now think roast chicken. See what I mean.
This isn’t the domain of potatoes and sweet potatoes alone. You can roast just about any root vegetable. Parsnips. Beets. Brussel sprouts. Garlic. Shallots. It’s all good.
Mixing them up is fun too. Maybe not Brussel sprouts. They have a pretty assertive taste. Like broccoli. Bit too strong to play nicely with others.
But what about a mix of parsnips, potatoes and carrots? Or Potatoes, garlic and shallots? See what I mean. Just imagine how good those roasted potatoes would be with some sweet shallot and garlic mixed in.
The glaze makes balsamic roast carrots special
And something magic about balsamic glaze. Together – wow! Need more wow? How about a bit of goat cheese tossed in at the last minute?
These are carrots for when you want flash. But you don’t want a ton of work. Perfect for a dinner party. When you are moving fast to get the meal on the table.
Prep your glaze ahead of time. Roast the carrots. Drizzle. Serve. Balsamic roasted carrots. Easy. But just damn good.
balsamic roasted carrots
Ingredients
Carrots
- 1 lb carrots - whole ones if small ones or cut up if large
- olive oil
- salt
Balsamic glaze
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- pinch salt
Instructions
Make the balsamic glaze
- Bring the balsamic vinegar, sugar and salt to a brisk simmer.
- Boil until reduced by half.
- Cool.
Balsamic roasted carrots
- Pre-heat your oven to 400F (or just go with whatever temperature your oven is as you cook dinner)
- Toss the carrots generously with olive oil.
- Roast until soft and starting to shrivel.
- Season with salt.
- Place in a bowl and drizzle with balsamic glaze to taste. You probably won't need all the glaze.
- Serve along side your best roast dinner.
Nutrition
