The Secret To Roasting Carrots

Most of the time when you roast carrots, they come out dry and shriveled.  That's because they contain more  pectin than any other vegetable or even some fruits.  So it takes a long time for this complex carbohydrate to break down. The solution is to precook the carrots covered in foil. This creates a heat stable form so the carrots will stay moist even after you turn up the heat and give them a tasty carmelization. This process works well even when parsnips, fennel, and shallots share the pan. Here's a great recipe you might enjoy:

Roasted Carrots And Shallots With Lemon And Thyme

Ingredients:  1lb carrots, peeled and halved crosswise, and cut lengthwise to create even pieces- 6 medium shallots- 1tsp chopped  thyme leaves-2 tbsp butter, melted, salt & ground black pepper- 1 tsp lemon juice

Adjust oven rack to  middle position and heat oven to 425  degrees.  In a large  bowl, combine carrots, shallots, thyme , butter, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and toss to coat.  Transfer carrots  to foil or  parchment lined  rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Cover tightly with foil. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook stirring twice,  until carrots are well  browned  and tender, about 30 to 35  minutes.  Toss with  lemon juice  , transfer to platter . Then salt and  pepper  to taste.  Serves 4 to 6.