Lime-Chipotle Carrots

Poor carrots. Sold in plastic bags with cartoon bunnies in the U.S., and in France, tossed willy-nilly in awkward heaps next to the bins of celery and zucchini. Talk about no respect.

And more often than not, carrots are part of something else…a soup, a stock, a braise…rarely are they the star.

Although I’ve never understood the appeal of raw carrots (why snack on those silly things when there are cookies in the house?), I love them cooked. Here, with an easy, slow roast, carrots take on a whole different personality — tender on the inside and slightly firm outside, with a smoky bite from chipotle and a brightness of lime. Just fabulous.

And a perfect side for anything — chicken, beef, pork, lamb, or whatever else you’ve got cooking. These take no time at all to put together, and need no further assistance once they’re in the oven – just remember to set your oven timer for two hours while you go do something fun, like catch up on episodes of “Mad Men.”

Tex-Mexy in spirit and simple to make, these seemed like just the thing to post for our #Letslunch “Holiday Sides” day. Here’s what the rest of the gang has cooked up:

Cheryl’s Auntie Jane’s Potato Gratin at A Tiger in the Kitchen

Charissa‘s Coconut Date Balls at Zest Bakery

Eleanor‘s Easy Festive Stir-Fry at Wok Star

Emma‘s Mom’s Hot Crab Dip at Dreaming of Pots And Pans

Felicia‘s Chinese Butterfly Cookies at Burnt-Out Baker

Grace‘s Fruitcake at HapaMama

Joe‘s Maine Homestead Holiday Dishes at Joe Yonan

Linda‘s Baked Salad at Free Range Cookies

Linda‘s Trinidadian Baked Pastelles at Spicebox Travels

Lisa‘s Potato Latkes at Monday Morning Cooking Club

Lucy‘s “Not My Mama’s” Black-Eyed Peas & Greens at A Cook And Her Books

Maria‘s Grandma Dorothy’s Deviled Eggs at Maria’s Good Things

Patrick‘s Baby Pecan Pies at Patrick G. Lee

Rebecca‘s Grandmother Martha’s Potato Kugel at Grongar Blog

Renee‘s Cranberry Christmas Salsa at My Kitchen And I

Steff‘s Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble at The Kitchen Trials

Victor‘s Roasted Parsnips, Carrots & Delicata Squash Tossed With Sauteed Mustard Greens at The Taste of Oregon

Lime-Chipotle Carrots

Makes 4 serivings

Adapted from a recipe in “The Essential New York Times Cookbook” by Amanda Hesser

• 1 pound of carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 of olive oil
• ½ cup of water
• juice of 2 limes
• zest of 1 lime
• a pinch of chipotle powder
• a pinch of cumin
• ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
• 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F.

2. In a small casserole dish, toss your carrots with the olive oil, water, lime juice, zest, chipotle powder, cumin, and salt. Cover tightly with foil and slip into the oven and cook for 2 hours, until the carrots are fully cooked and a knife can easily be inserted into them. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Tagged as: carrots, cilantro, lime