Roasted Carrots with Chopped Mint Dressing

Roasting carrots is one of the best way to bring out and intensify this root’s inner sweetness. Seasoned with a hint of heat that balances nicely with fresh mint dressing, Roasted Carrots is a tasty, versatile side dish.

Roasted Carrots with Mint Dressing

Roasting carrots is one of the best way to bring out and intensify this root's inner sweetness. Seasoned with a hint of heat that balances nicely with fresh mint dressing, Roasted Carrots is a tasty, versatile side dish. If you happen to have any leftovers, try chopping up the cold carrots and adding them to a salad.

Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients

  • 15-20 small to medium carrots, or 20-25 Crispy Crunch Baby Carrots, peeled and tops removed
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup peppermint leaves
  • ¼ cup dill leaves
  • 1 tbsp pine nuts or almonds
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 357℉.
  • Toss the carrots in 2 tablespoons olive oil and lay them out on a lined baking sheet. Mix together paprika, garlic, cumin, and cayenne. Sprinkle over carrots, rolling them around to ensure all sides are seasoned. Place in the oven and roast for 15 – 20 minutes, or until they are softened and there's slight resistance when pierced with a fork.
  • While carrots are cooking, very finely chop mint, dill, and pine nuts, and place in a small bowl. Add remaining olive oil, lemon juice, and salt, and mix thoroughly.
  • After removing carrots from the oven, place them on a serving plate and drizzle with mint dressing. Serve immediately.
Roasted Carrots with Mint Dressing
Roasted Carrots with Mint Dressing!

Featured Ingredient: Peppermint

There are many varieties of mint, and while all of them are essentially "minty" in the same way, each one has a unique flavor quality. Peppermint is the boldest of the mint varieties, with an upfront peppery bite. It complements a large variety of fresh herbs, fruits, and beverages, and is a wonderful plant to have on hand. Mint grows beautifully in containers, and will also grow vigorously when planted in the ground. (In fact, you may want to plant it in a pot first, then plant the pot, to keep mint from taking over the garden.) Let us teach you the best way to grow your own mint.

Mint tolerates light frost, but the top will eventually die back in winter in all but the mild coastal climates. Roots are hardy in zones 5 though 9.
Mint is frost tolerant. It usually dies back in the winter but comes back in spring.