Super quick to make and with a special touch, these honey-roasted carrots with crispy ham are a perfect appetizer or a side for any meat or fish dish. Paired with a bit of rice, they also become a very special and complete first course. Personally, I love to have them with couscous, and as a side to fish dishes on the griddle or baked.
Are you in? They take 2 minutes to prepare, and you let the oven do all the work. Since I first tried them, I fell in love with their unique contrast, ease of preparation and versatility: it’s a recipe that impresses, healthy and with a different touch without complications, just how I like cooking. I hope you give it a try!
Ingredients
- 24 baby carrots
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- 3 or 4 tablespoons of honey (mild, rosemary or wildflower)
- 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
- 140 g ham
Preparation
- Clean the carrots with water, and arrange them in a ceramic baking dish or the Le Creuset cast-iron.
- In a small bowl, mix 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil (AOVE), salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Coat the carrots with the dressing you prepared: you can pour it over and use a kitchen brush to ensure all the carrots are well coated.
- Pour 4 teaspoons of honey over them, letting it drizzle while you move the spoon over the carrots.
- Sprinkle with toasted, 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, you may need a bit more time; in that case you can also cut them in half crosswise).
- Arrange some slices of ham around the carrots and continue baking 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 or chopped (scallions also work); onion goes wonderfully with both the carrot and the ham, and with the touch of honey it will caramelize quickly and be delicious.
- If you’re going to use them to mix with couscous or rice, or want smaller bites to accompany a fish dish, you can slice the carrots into rounds. It will only take a minute longer to prepare but you’ll make that up during baking (they will roast a little faster).
