Name: Roasted Carrots and Shallots with Chermoula
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1½ pounds carrots , peeled and halved lengthwise; 4 large shallot , peeled and halved through root end; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, or unrefined coconut oil; Salt and pepper; 2 tablespoons toasted and coarsely chopped pine nuts; ¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 4 garlic cloves , minced; 1 serrano chile , stemmed, seeded, and minced; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon salt; ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Why This Recipe Works

We discovered that there are two keys to good browning when roasting carrots: butter and oven position. Melting the butter first helps coat the carrots evenly before they go onto the baking sheet. The butter itself helps brown the vegetables while also keeping them from sticking. Roasting the buttered carrots lower in the oven also helps promote browning. The closer the heat source is to the baking sheet, the better the browning. The resulting carrots are tender, sweet, and almost caramel-like on the roasted sides. To spice up this simple preparation, we served our carrots with an intense, spicy green chermoula and plenty of toasted pine nuts.

Before You Begin

Choose carrots that are about 1½ inches in diameter at the thicker end. If your carrots are smaller, leave them whole; if they're larger, extend the roasting time slightly.

Instructions

for the carrots

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss carrots, shallots, melted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in bowl to coat. Spread carrot-shallot mixture in even layer on rimmed baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast until tender and cut sides are well browned, 15 to 25 minutes.

for the chermoula

Process cilantro, lemon juice, garlic, serrano, cumin, salt, and cayenne in food processor until finely chopped, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With processor running, slowly add oil until incorporated. Transfer to small bowl.

Transfer carrots and shallots to serving platter and season with salt to taste. Drizzle with chermoula and sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve.