My kids love raw carrots (ok, love is a strong word) – they will eat raw carrots, and my younger one requires “dip” – which is ranch dressing. I have finally gotten them to the point of not removing the cooked carrots from chicken noodle soup – after years of telling them that they are only matter – and that they take on the flavor of the soup – they finally starting believing me and eat them – but only from a can.
Cooked carrots are a whole different story. I can saute them with butter and dill, serve them with brisket, even boil them in the matzoh ball soup – and they are not fans. I saw this recipe in Cook’s Illustrated, and I figured I would give it a try. The carrots sounded delicious – and that they were. Some were almost crunchy on the outside, and sweet and creamy on the inside – they were magnificent. When I served them with dinner, my oldest one was intrigued. My younger one asked if they were french fries. I might have a winner. My oldest one tried a carrot, and actually liked it – she ate the whole thing. My younger one was still skeptical, but I know she will get there. This is definitely the way to roast carrots – next time I am going to add just a touch of dill, and all will be perfect. In fact – they might even show up on my Thanksgiving table this year…
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled, halved crosswise, and cut lengthwise if necessary to create even pieces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine carrots with butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Transfer carrots to foil or parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and spread in a single layer.
Cover baking sheet tightly with foil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook, stirring twice, until carrots are well browned and tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to serving platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
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First Look, Then Cook 
I’ve roasted carrots before… but I love this idea of cutting them into fry shapes! Will have to try them soon.
Nice recipe for carrots, thanks so much.
I love roasted carrots and I’ll definitely try this recipe. But I have a question. Do I really need to use unsalted butter and then add the salt back in? Or can I just use salted butter and skip the added salt? Do you think it makes a difference in this recipe or any other?
The main reason why recipes usually call for unsalted butter is so you can control the amount of salt that is added. By using salted butter, it may end up being too salty for you in the end – but if you are comfortable taking the risk, then there is no problem using the salted butter. I would strongly urge you not to use salted butter when baking though.
LOVE roasted carrots. I like to add a few sprigs of fresh thyme to mine. Then to add just a hint of sweetness, I drizzle a little agave nectar over them before serving.
I have never tried with butter but it sounds great! I personally usually do olive oil, salt, pepper, and maybe some dried rosemary. A little cinnamon is also great on carrots.
I can vouch that these are AMAZING!!! I seriously wanted to get a double oven just because of the times that I couldn’t make these when something else was in the oven at a very different temperature, and I was craving these carrots. They are sooooooo good. I also got the recipe from Cook’s Illustrated (November 2010 magazine). The variations of the recipe that they list in the magazine (and online) are also great!
I have tried this recipe twice. Both times the carrots burned (they were mostly black) and I stopped the carnage about 20 mins after removing the foil and tossed the charcoal that remained. My oven temp is fine. I tried again today and dropped the oven temp to 350 after removing the foil with the same disappointing results. Carrots in trash… Any ideas?
Maybe you cut the carrots too small? Try bigger wedges. Sorry!!