Honey Roasted Carrots with Rosemary

At Christmas dinner, the side dishes have always stolen centre stage for me. Being a vegetarian, I never had that experience of a super special main piece (although I’m rectifying that with these stuffed butternut squash!) so the better the side dishes, the better the meal.

Honey roasted carrots have always been a staple in our household, alongside honey roasted parsnips, it would be hard to choose a favourite between the two. Carrots are naturally very sweet, so they don’t need much to turn them into a luxurious, comforting dish which you will be fighting over at the table (oh yeah, make lots). The addition of rosemary, salt and pepper brings everything together and provides that coveted “sweet and salt” combination which just makes me drool.

Here’s some science about why sweet and salty are so good… Our brains are wired to crave different flavours. We crave sweet flavours to ensure our body is getting enough carbohydrate fuel, aka energy, and we crave salty foods to ensure we are getting enough nutrients. By combining the two flavours in what chefs call “flavour layering”, you are appealing to both parts of your brain at the same time and therefore creating a food which has double the impact of one flavour sensation on it’s own.

In this instance, I decided to use multi coloured carrots, as they had some down at the grocery store, but if you can’t find them, plain orange ones will be absolutely fine. I don’t bother peeling the carrots as the skin gives a nice texture in the oven, I just give them a good scrub before coating them in the olive oil and honey mixture and covering them for a slow roast.

These carrots are definitely best served fresh from the oven, but can be marinated in the olive oil and honey mixture the night before you want to bake them, and popped straight in the oven the next day!

What’s your favourite side dish for a roast dinner?

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