Roasted Carrots with Dukkah & Yogurt

I can't remember where I had carrots with hazelnuts. A few nights ago, they popped into my head, as I was trying to plan a simple menu for a dinner party at home and Googled my way to this roasted carrots recipe. Most sweeter vegetables like sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, or beets take well to two ingredients: cumin and honey. The cumin plays up the earthiness of root vegetables and the honey highlights their sweetness. So, skimming through this recipe, I was excited to add a little more complexity with the nuts and a few other spices. 

Once the carrots are oven-roasted, they are finished with dukkah, an Egyptian spice blend. I happened to have all of these ingredients in my over-flowing spice cabinet but if you need to go shopping, everything is readily available at any grocery store. I recommend roasting the spices whole and grinding it all together in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle; the smell of freshly ground spices is really next level. The mix below will make more than you need - I plan to use my extra dukkah on meat, in yogurt dips, in a hummus, or in oil to dip bread into. 

Lastly, you can drizzle the dressing over your finished carrots or serve it on the side. The yogurt also doubles as an amazing dip for pita chips, vegetables, or meatballs.

Ingredients

For the carrots:

• 2 bunches carrots (or sliced larger carrots)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• Salt & pepper to taste

For the yogurt dip:

• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• Juice of 1/4 lemon
• Sprinkle of cumin
• Salt & pepper to taste

For the spice mix:

• 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp fennel seeds

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients for the yogurt dip and refrigerate.
2. Set the oven to 400 F. Thoroughly clean the carrots and add to the baking sheet. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 12 mins.
3. While the carrots are in the oven, make the spice mix. Place a pan on medium-high heat and add the hazelnuts to toast, about 3-4 mins. Next, add the remaining ingredients for the spice mix to the same pan and toast for an additional 3-4 mins, until fragrant. Pulse the mix in a spice grinder to create a coarse, chunky spice mix - do not over blend! You can also crush everything in a mortar and pestle.
4. Take the carrots out of the oven and carefully remove the foil; the steam will be very hot! Drizzle the honey, toss, and put the tray back in the oven (without the foil this time) for an additional 10 mins. Tip: use a fork to drizzle the honey, it comes out perfectly.
5. Once the carrots are done, move them to your serving dish. Add 2 teaspoons of the spice mix on top and drizzle your dressing, if you would like. Eat!