What to Plant in Spring: The Carrot
What to plant this spring? Carrots. There are a dozen different colors and kinds to brighten your plate this season.
Gone is the scabbed skin and gnarled flesh. Carrots pulled from spring ground are slim and tender with skin so new that it’s edible once clean (peeling is a matter of taste). Here, I peel a multi-colored group before submerging them in a buttery, hot bath. They are then dressed in a sheer glaze of butter, honey, rosemary, and citrus and served immediately, tasting of nothing so much as fresh carrot.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 4 Serving(s)
- 2 bunches slender spring carrots, washed and peeled, but otherwise whole. (I like to leave a little of the carrot top for both color and as a handle for those who pick them up with their hands.)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 1 tablespoon good quality honey
- Leaves from 3 large sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
One note: if using purple carrots, cook and dress them separately from the rest. Like beets, their color bleeds.
Cooking
Fill a wide saucepan with enough water to just cover the whole carrots. Bring water to a boil and salt generously. Carefully add the carrots with 1 tablespoon butter and let simmer until knife-tender, about 5–8 minutes depending on carrot thickness. Trying not to scrape or break the carrots, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and set aside to drain.
Empty the saucepan of all water. Return to a low heat and melt the remaining butter. Whisk in the orange zest, honey, and rosemary. Gently add the carrots back in and roll gently to glaze with the seasoned honey butter. Season with salt and pepper, then taste, adding more honey, butter, or rosemary as desired. Spoon onto a platter and serve warm.
Makes 4 servings
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Rosemary Cultivars for Spring
Garden Sage Debra Knapke shared her favorite carrot cultivars with us for the spring issue. See below for her recommendations for rosemary cultivars to pair with Sarah Lagrotteria’s recipe for Carrots...
