Butter-Roasted Carrots

Note: this recipe was part of a book I wrote called Eat Like A Maisel.

Yield: 4 servings

Maybe Zelda has the night off. Or you’re more focused on a main item, like the Brisket (page 142) or the Rack of Lamb (page 151). Or maybe you just feel like a bunny. Doesn’t matter. This dish is easy, tasty, and the pop of color and textures from the parsley, mint, pistachios, and feta make for a nice surprise.

1 pound (453 g) carrots

1 pound (453 g) butter

4 tablespoons (5 g) parsley

8 tablespoons (2.5 g) mint

1⁄4 cup (40 g) feta

1⁄4 cup (30 g) pistachios

Kosher salt, to taste

4 garlic cloves, optional

1 bunch (20 g) thyme, tied with a piece of kitchen twine, optional

Wash the carrots, scrubbing vigorously. Wrap a clean dishrag around the carrot and push and pull the carrot through it. Seriously. You’re going to be uncomfortable. You’re going to make anyone watching you uncomfortable. But when you’re done, the carrots should have a soft, velvety skin. Which I think makes this whole exercise even more awkward.

Melt butter in a large sauté pan. You want a pan small enough to fit the carrots, but not so large that you have tons of extra room. I used a 12-inch cast iron skillet. You can chop them into shorter lengths if you wish, but I prefer the presentation of full-length carrots.

Add the carrots to the pan. Careful! Don’t splash any of that butter. This is the time to add the optional garlic and thyme.

Preheat the oven to 300 ̊F.

Carefully move the carrots to the oven and roast for 2 hours. If the carrots aren’t completely covered in butter, rotate or baste them occasionally so they don’t dry out.

Remove from oven. Transfer the carrots to a cooling rack on an aluminum foil–lined baking sheet. Transfer the butter in the pan to a jar. Congrats, you just made carrot-flavored ghee! Use this as you would butter, keeping in mind that it’ll have a subtly sweet flavor.

Toss the carrots with parsley, mint, pistachios, feta, and salt (to taste) and serve.