Dip these spicy roasted carrots into the Harissa-Yogurt Sauce—delicious! If you can find superthin carrots, that’s good, but this recipe also works fine with only moderately thin carrots. Long thin carrots just roast well, look good on the plate, and are fun to eat.
Make your own harissa, a thick, spicy North African condiment made from puréed roasted red peppers, or find it in jars or tubes on the international shelves of well-stocked supermarkets. This recipe features roasted carrots for their color and sweet contrast to the spicy sauce, but you can add potatoes, onions, parsnips, turnips, or winter squash (see Variations). Harissa can really vary in heat and intensity, even if homemade, depending on the hotness of the peppers you use.
Serves 4 to 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Roasting time: 25 to 45 minutes, depending on the thinness of the carrots
2 pounds thin carrots with green tops
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for the pan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon harissa
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Oil a baking pan.
Scrub and rinse the carrots, and peel them if you think it’s necessary. Trim the green tops, leaving on 1 to 2 inches. Trim off most of the roots, leaving about ¾ inch if the root looks edible. Coat the prepped carrots with the olive oil and arrange them in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with the spice rub, turn the carrots over, and sprinkle the other side. Season with salt and pepper, and the thyme (if using). Roast for 25 to 45 minutes until the carrots are tender and look crusty.
Make the sauce: In a small bowl, swirl the harissa into the yogurt and top with the lemon zest.
Arrange the roasted carrots on a platter and serve with the harissa-yogurt sauce alongside. Or spoon the sauce into individual condiment dishes, or put a tablespoon or two on each plate for dipping the carrots into.
• Roast potatoes and onions with the carrots. Use 1 pound carrots, plus 1 or 2 large white potatoes, peeled and sliced into wedges, and 1 large onion, sliced into wedges or chunks.
• Roast chunks or sticks of winter squash or parsnips.
Serve this deeply flavorful carrot side dish with something milder, perhaps Persian Kuku, Farro Pilaf with Cannellini and Arugula, or Mujadara. Skip the yogurt on top of mujadara and serve Harissa-Yogurt Sauce with both dishes. Try it with Burmese Tohu Thoke.