Especially with fresh vegetables, it's nice to go back to the basics. And with root vegetables, one of the most basic (and reliable) preparation methods is roasting.

Roasting heightens and highlights the simple sweetness inherent to many root vegetables. The hot oven quickly burns off excess moisture, leaving a more concentrated flavor. The kicker? The high heat preparation gives the carrots a caramelized and crispy skin.

Applying this method to young carrots is especially fantastic. The carrots are soft on the inside, chewy on the outside. The flavor is subdued but assertive: there are hints of garlic, thyme, and red wine vinegar. And they're addictive! Like a tin of a certain kind of potato crisps: "Once you pop, you can't stop!" 

Feel free to play around with different herbs. Dill is wonderful here, as well. The nice thing about roasting is that you can really tinker with the flavor profile. There is only one rule: use herbs, oils, and spices sparingly. Let the vegetable's natural flavor shine! If you can't get small young carrots, you might want to add a little honey to the roasting pan. Large carrots may not be as sweet as fresh young carrots.

Below the jump, it's Simple Roasted Carrots.

 Simple Roasted Carrots

To start, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

Rinse the carrots well to remove excess dirt.

Unless the carrots are especially small, cut the carrots in half, lengthwise. Then, half the lengthwise slices. 

If the carrots are even larger, cut into even smaller slices. 

Toss your carrots with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, a splash of vinegar (about 2 teaspoons), salt and pepper, the thyme sprigs, and garlic cloves. 

Place in roasting tray or earthenware dish.

Cover tightly with foil and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until just tender. 

Remove the foil and cook for a further 10 - 15 minutes, until the carrots have browned and caramelized nicely.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

2 bunches of young carrots (about 1lb 10 oz), washed and scrubbed

glug of olive oil

splash of herb or red wine vinegar

dusting of sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie.