Carrots rule.

Not only are they good for your eyes BUT they also put hair on your chest! All right so they truly don’t make you sprout hair on your front-side, that’s only something my dad would tell us growing up. Actually he said that about lots of things… carrots, coffee, yard work (blech!). Okay so forget about the chest-hair thing and only go with “they’re-good-for-your-eyes” because I actually truly do want you to make these! —–>(Hi Dad) <—–

So as I was saying… Carrots rule, but carrots roasted and candied with balsamic and honey are top-notch! And in celebration of October being Fair Trade Month, I busted out my Fair Trade Glorybee honey and got to roasting. I made these to go along side meatloaf and baked potatoes (at my daughter’s request), which so happens to be one of my go-to fall comfort meals and these carrots are absolute perfection!

To Make These Honey Balsamic Glazed Whole Roasted Carrots Set out:

carrots
olive oil
black pepper
sea salt
thyme sprigs
balsamic vinegar
honey

For this method in particular you want to find the carrots that still have their tops on. The skin tends to be softer, so you won’t have to peel them (score!) and they’re also more tender which makes roasting them whole that much easier. You don’t want to buy those big, clunky carrots that are in bags next to the celery… those are better for making stock or sayyy, feeding to horses. And let’s only be honest… they only won’t look as pretty on the plate.

Trim off the carrot tops and give them a good scrub. You could also trim off the vine-y ends… but I happen to like those, gives ’em character. I’m such a dork… I know.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle with crushed black pepper. Like I actually took a meat tenderizer to a baggie of peppercorns! For maximus peppery-ness.

And sprinkle with kosher salt.

Toss them all around so each carrot is generously coated in the olive oil and S & P.

Throw on a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme. I have an abundance of thyme growing in my herb garden so I’ve been throwing it in, on and under EVERYTHING!

Now simply pop these carrots into a preheated 425° oven for like 15 minutes.

When the time is up, remove the pan from the oven and set the pan off to the side to cool down for a moment. Meanwhile you can quickly make the balsamic honey glaze.

Balsamic… naturally.

Honey… obviously. (dark brown sugar would be tasty too!)

Stir to combine… of course! How straightforward is THAT?

Drizzle over top of the semi-roasted carrots, toss them all around and pop them back into the oven for 10-15 more minutes. Halfway through give them one last toss.

Stand back when you open the door, or you could get slapped in the face with the balsamic vapors! It’s bad news… mascara dripping down your face isn’t dependable look.

I looooove these Glazed Whole Roasted Carrots. They are the dependable combination of sweet and tangy. If and I mean IF there’s leftovers they reheat only splendidly.

So completely unfussy and so completely yum.