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Roasted Carrots with Maple Labne|Weston Table
Roasted Carrots with Maple Labne

Award-winning food critic, Julia Moskin of The New York Times, noted that Tavern on State in New Haven, Connecticut served one of the best dishes in America. We had to try it. After a two hour and twenty minute drive (on the way to a birthday party later in the evening)  we arrived to find that the menu changed frequently and the notable fried chicken with green tomato relish and radish salad was out of season. After settling onto our tufted leather bench, we perused the menu and soon forgot about the chicken. Afterall, the choices were all sounding exquisite: prawn toast with sesame, badger flame beets & persimmons, and french onion gnudi to name  a few of the standouts. However, it was the grilled carrots with maple labne that was the taste of the evening. Carrots the highlight of the menu? YES! Grilled and served with labne sweetened with maple syrup, a radicchio jam (never heard of such a thing), and a fennel streusel (hmmm, not sure what this was but do know it was delicious), these jewel-toned carrots had the perfect balance of sweet and savory in every bite. This recipe is a solid attempt to bring carrots glory in the home kitchen. The red pepper jelly adds a bit of spice and is easy to find. The roasted fennel adds depth and complexity to the dish. A flourish of minced pistachios adds crunch. This dish is pretty to look at and awesome to eat--good enough for a place at the Thanksgiving feast table.

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cuisine American
difficulty Easy
recipe small plates
season Winter & Spring
serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 bunches thin carrots, leave 2 to 3" top and peel

1 small fennel bulb, sliced as thinly as possible

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Red Pepper Jelly

1/2 cup labne

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup pistachios, minced

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Place the carrots on a half sheet baking tray. Toss the carrots with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread the carrots on the sheet to form a single layer without the carrots touching one another (so they don't steam rather than roast). Place the tray on the bottom rack of the oven and roast for 15 minutes, turn the carrots and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until a knife can be inserted easily to the center of the thickest part of the carrot.
  3. On a quarter sheet baking tray, toss the fennel with 1 tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on the middle rack of the oven. Roast until the fennel is frizzled but not blackened, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. In a small bowl, mix the labne and the maple syrup together. Set aside.
  5. Heat the hot pepper jelly in the microwave for 30 seconds. Use a pastry brush to brush the jelly over the surface of each carrot, turning to insure every side of the carrot is jelly shiny.
  6. Use a spatula to spread the labne down the center of a platter.
  7. Place the carrots over the labne. Sprinkle the fennel over the carrots. Drizzle the jelly over the fennel and carrots. Finish by sprinkling the pistachios over the carrots. Serve the dish at room temperature.

Kitchen Notes

The carrots should have dark brown caramelization spots but not be black charred. If you have a mandoline to slice the fennel, it makes quick and even work out of slicing the bulb--reserve some of the fronds for plating. Any carrots will work in this recipe but cut them evenly so they cook evenly. Labne is doubly strained plain yogurt that has the consistency of soft cheese that is usually served in Middle Eastern cuisine as a savory spread.
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