Maple Roasted Carrots

A sweet, comforting side dish, its glory being the subtle sweetness imparted not only by the maple syrup, but also those lovely carrots. I worked on a farm once for a summer (ah, now I’m far enough away in years that I think any memory would be pure nostalgia from that time!) and I loved working in the carrots fields. We had a big crew and it was hard work, and long days, but there were different jobs required by the literal field. There was the person pitch-forking the ground, loosening the soil surrounding the carrots. The people following along behind, crouching as they pulled the carrots to the earth and creating bundles of them. Everyone taking a second to look up when someone thrust a certain carrot into the air, remarking on its hilarious shape and thinking of the customers who would inevitably buy them. Finally, there were those who would pile up the carrots, grabbing the bundles lying on the dirt and stacking, stacking, stacking. When they weren’t, maybe they were distributing handfuls of rubber bands. Farm work is an underappreciated art, and so tough on the physical body, and it was a privilege having that experience for those quick 6 months, when it stayed easy on my body and the camaraderie of my peers made any (ok, most) weather tolerable. Join this wanna-be hippie in honoring those carrots with this simple side dish, hmm?

Maple Roasted Carrots

• 4 large carrots, or 6 smaller, peeled
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (use honey if following SCD)
• 1 tablespoon butter (use ghee if AIP, coconut oil if vegan)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
• sprinkle of sea salt
• grind of black pepper

Preheat the oven the 400. Slice your carrots a 1/2 inch wide, at an angle if you’d like to be fancy. Place your baking dish in the oven with the butter in it, just briefly, so the butter melts but the dish doesn’t heat too much. Take out, add the maple syrup and carrots, and toss to coat. Sprinkle the thyme, sea salt and black pepper over, then pop in the oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Serves 4.

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