Molasses Roasted Carrots

As a kid I hated carrots. Or at least, deeply despised them. Perhaps it was because everyone constantly said "carrots are good for your eyes" and nodded knowingly. Ugh - to someone who doesn't really remember life without glasses, this was a) meaningless and b) kind of a smack in the face. Like, what, if I had consistently been fed only carrots until the age of five I would never have had to wear glasses? Yea right. Although perhaps I can blame my parents for this - actually that doesn't sound like a bad idea! Blaming parents for all your problems is wonderful! Should'a force fed me carrots, guys - then I wouldn't be contemplating lasik surgery (speaking of - anyone who has had lasik done, please do your best to convince me that it is safe, not deathly terrifying, and won't result in immediate horror and/or reduced night vision).

And unfortunately, despite my deep and continuing love for Indian desserts (bring on the sugary jalebis, the juicy rasgullas, the besan laddoos and the puran polis!), somehow gajar halva (grated carrots cooked in cream and sugar) has never been on the top of the list. 

But I'm an adult now (or so they keep telling me). And as an adult I took it upon myself to explore the different sides of veggies I had convinced myself I didn't like. As the veggies I ate as a child numbered exactly two, I had a lot of exploring to do.

Well, these carrots are meant for the carrot hater in your life. Deeply sweet, but not cloyingly so - as a recent molasses lover, I keep finding more and more deliciousness that can be attributed to this sticky gold! Roasty-crunchy but succulent too. The texture, the flavor, the color. It's all there. And it's deceptively simple, with just 4 ingredients (one of which is salt!). 

If I could travel back in time I might even offer some of these to my younger self and bet that I would like them. Okay, okay, I would probably do a whole bunch of other things too if I were capable of traveling through time, but this might make it on the list. Who knows, I might not even be wearing glasses today if I'd met this dish before (Parents - I'm lookin' at you!).

Molasses Roasted Carrots

Ingredients

1 bunch carrots

2 tsp molasses

1/2 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Slice the carrots into even 1/4 inch disks. 

Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and spread the carrot on the sheet. Drizzle olive oil and molasses on the carrots along with a generous sprinkle of salt. Toss well to coat completely.

Roast at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Serve!

P.S. If you're looking for good Thanksgiving recipes, this might be a good one to save up - roasted sides always seem to go perfectly with ginormous-stuffed-turkey, don't they?