There’s something about carrots once you’ve cooked them for a while, coaxing out the sugary goodness that lies within. This recipe takes advantage of this trait of the orange vegetable and combines it with a dash on cumin and thyme to create a wonderfully flavourful salad. What really did it for me though was the creme fraiche dollop on the top. Don’t forget that or you’ll be missing out.
Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad (Adapted from Farmhouse Delivery Blog)
Preheat oven to 425. Place about 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and pumpkin seeds each in small skillet and toast over medium to low heat. Set aside to cool. Cut 1 bunch of small carrots, peeled, some stem left intact, lengthwise and place in a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 2 cloves of garlic, a few springs of thyme, 2 quartered lemons and one quartered orange. Drizzle with ¼ cup olive oiland 4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Toss well to coat, place on heavy, oven-proof pan, and roast at until carrots begin to caramelize, but are still crunchy. Remove from the oven and let cool. Squeeze lemon and orange juice into a bowl along with all pan juices. Slowly drizzle in another ¼ cup of olive oil and whisk constantly until emulsified. Slice 1 avocado and squeeze lemon juice on top to prevent browning. Return carrots to bowl, along with mixed salad greens and a small, sliced red onion, and toss with dressing. Place on serving platter or individual plates, arrange several pieces of avocado amongst carrots and greens, drizzle with creme fraiche and sprinkle with seeds.