8.4.15 Roasted Carrots with Avocado Buttermilk Ranch
I don’t know about you guys, but in our house, we eat a lot of carrots. Carrots being a favorite food of both Forrest and weirdly enough, the dog, means that we rarely find ourselves without carrots in the house. Of course, this time of year, when carrots start to become readily available at the farmer’s market, our CSA, and in our backyard garden, we end up with quite a plethora of them.
And while there are many, many wonderful ways to eat carrots, in our household, one of the most popular methods of carrot consumption is simply eating them raw with copious amounts of ranch dressing. So simple, yet so wonderfully satisfying. However, the other weekend, when we picked up these most beautiful, sunset hued beauties at the farmer’s market, I knew they were destined for something slightly more elevated than your standard carrots and ranch. Only slightly though.
These carrots were definitely sizeable - to tame some of that copious crunch, and coax out a little extra sweetness, I roasted them with smoked paprika until just tender. And then came the ranch. I decided to stray slightly from the traditional ranch, opting for fresh herbs instead of dried (we have plenty of them growing in our garden after all), and subbing in a lovely, creamy avocado in place of your standard mayo base. The result is a beautifully green-hued version with lots of tang thanks to a healthy dose of cultured buttermilk. Carrots and dip, you’ve never looked better.
Roasted Carrots with Avocado Buttermilk Ranch
serves 3-4 as a side
carrots:
- 1 lb carrots
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
ranch:
- ⅓ cup cultured buttermilk
- ½ large avocado
- 2 Tbsp (loose packed) chopped fresh chives + more for topping
- 2 Tbsp (loose packed) chopped fresh dill
- 2 Tbsp (loose packed) chopped fresh parsley (or better yet, use carrot greens!)
- 1 large garlic clove roughly chopped
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Toss carrots with olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper, until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until just tender, about 30-35 minutes. (May be shorter or longer depending on how thick your carrots are).
3. While carrots roast, make the ranch. Combine all ranch ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Additional buttermilk can be added to achieve a thinner consistency if desired. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper as needed.
4. Serve carrots warm with plenty of ranch, and a sprinkling of chopped chives on top.
