First up on our festive recipe countdown we have these little delicious Orange Thyme and Rosemary Roasted Carrots! These colourful little delights make the perfect accompaniment to many a festive dish! Much more than just your humble steamed or boiled carrots, these little beauties are roasted to perfection to bring our the natural sweetness, they are just bursting with flavour from the festive additions of the orange rind and woody herbs, all rounded off with some heady garlic and a generous amount of luxurious butter (well it is Christmas after all!) Once you try these, you’ll be sure to make them again and again.

Ingredients

serves 8

1 kg of carrots (which ever variety you prefer) diced into random chunks.

50 g butter

3 cloves garlic

1 tbs olive oil

1 orange (juice and zest)

4 sprigs thyme

4 sprigs rosemary

salt and pepper to season.

Method

• pre-heat the oven to 180 c
• place the diced carrots in an appropriate sized roasting dish.
• leave the garlic cloves with the skin on but carefully using the side of your knife, lightly press on each one to crush them slightly to allow the juices to escape during the cooking process. Add these to the roasting dish.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully peel large strips of the orange zest, you only want the zest, not the bitter white pith underneath this. Add this to the roasting dish and squeeze in the juice from the orange, using your fingers to catch any pips.
• Add your herbs to the dish, removing any woody stems, add the oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Give the whole thing a good mix to make sure everything is coated and evenly distributed around the dish.
• finally add the butter, dotting it around the dish evenly.
• place the dish in the oven and cook for around 45 minutes or until the carrots are tender and starting to catch and caramelise on the edges.

Chefs Tip

You could prep these, up the the stage where you add the oil and herbs, the day before and place in the fridge, covered until needed.