A nice way to cook carrots, which accentuates their sweetness. Chervil is a pretty herb and always makes a good garnish, but equally works well as an ingredient. It has a mild aniseed flavour. You may find it hard to get hold of, so you could use tarragon instead, or why not try growing chervil – it makes a pretty plant. This would make a good friend for the Jerusalem artichoke, white wine and thyme pie (see here).
For some fun variations try different types of honey; you could experiment until you find your favourite.
SERVES 4
500g carrots of your choice, such as Chantenay or heritage
sea salt
2 tbsp runny honey, again your choice
small bunch of chervil
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas mark 4.
You need to slightly cook the carrots first, because completely cooking them in the oven can make them tough. Bring a large pan of water to the boil to which you have added a little salt. While it heats up, peel the carrots and remove the tops.
When the water boils, add the carrots. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and put straight into a roasting tray.
Drizzle with the honey and season with a little more salt, give a stir so that the carrots are evenly coated, then pop them in the hot oven for 10–15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife and sticky.
As the carrots roast, chop the chervil finely. When it comes to the last 5 minutes of roasting, bring the carrots out of the oven, give them a stir and sprinkle on most of the chervil, then pop back in the oven to finish.
Serve immediately, sprinkling the carrots with the remaining chervil.
