Honey Roasted Carrots with Crispy Ham
Very quick to make and with a special touch, these honey roasted carrots with crunchy ham are a perfect appetizer or a side to any meat or fish dish. Also accompanied with a little rice, they become a most special and complete first course. Personally, I love to eat it with couscous, and as an accompaniment to grilled or baked fish dishes .
You dare? Preparing them takes you 2 minutes, and you let the oven do all the work. The truth is that since I tried it, I fell in love with it for its singular contrast, ease of preparation and its versatility: it is a recipe that looks good, healthy and with a different touch without complications, the way I like it to be cooked. I hope you get excited about it!
Ingredients
- 24 baby carrots
- Olive oil
- Salt
- ground black pepper
- 3 or 4 tablespoons of honey (mild, rosemary or thousand flowers)
- 2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
- 140 g ham
Preparation
- Clean the carrots with water, and arrange them in a ceramic or iron source from Le Creuset .
- In a small bowl, mix 60ml EVOO, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Impregnate the carrots with the dressing that you have prepared: you can pour it on top and help yourself with a kitchen brush to ensure that all the carrots are smeared.
- Pour 4 teaspoons of honey over the top, letting it trickle down as you move the spoon over the carrots.
- Sprinkle some toasted and lightly crushed fennel seeds.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 20 minutes, turning a couple of times (if the carrots are thick, it may take a little longer, although in that case you can also cut them crosswise in half).
- Spread a few slices of ham around the carrots and continue to bake for a few more minutes, until the ham is crispy.
- Serve hot and enjoy the contrast of flavors!
Notes
- You can add onion cut into julienne strips or chopped (they can also be chives), both with carrots and ham, it makes a wonderful home, but it is also that with a touch of honey it will caramelize quickly and it is delicious.
- If you are going to use them to mix with couscous or rice , or you want it to be a smaller bite to accompany a fish dish, you can cut the carrots into slices . It will take you just a minute more to prepare but you will recover it in the bake (they will roast a point faster).