Spicy maple roast carrots with crispy chickpeas and yogurt sauce
I love dishes like this. Take nice-but-nothing-spectacular things. In today’s case, spicy maple roasted carrots (3 ingredients), crispy chickpeas (crack a can) and a yogurt sauce. Individually – fine. Together – INCREDIBLE! The thing here that makes this so special is the contrast of flavours and textures. Sweet and spicy from the carrots. Crunchy and savoury from the chickpeas. Creamy and cooling from the lemony garlic yogurt sauce. It is so, so, SO very good! I also think you’ll appreciate the convenience of the making process. Both the carrots and chickpeas cook in the oven at the same time, taking around 30 minutes for the carrots to become caramelised and tender, and the chickpeas crispy and clattering across the tray. You do big swirly smears of the yogurt sauce on a platter, pile the glistening carrots on top and shower with the crunchy chickpeas, stand back and you immediately know you’ve just made something moreishly delicious! How much do you wish that spoon was heading towards your mouth right now??
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make these loaded spicy maple roast carrots. Actually not that much! I’ve just broken it up into groups for ease of reading.
Carrot options
I like the visuals of dutch carrots but you can use ordinary carrots instead. Just cut them in quarters or half lengthwise so they are around the same width as dutch carrots.
Spicy maple sauce for roasting
Just sriracha (for spiciness and vinegar) and maple syrup. You can use honey instead, though I really love the flavour maple brings to this dish.
Crispy roasted chickpeas
Just a can of chickpeas and a simple seasoning adds great crunch and extra fun to this dish! It also adds starch which turns it into meal-territory.
lemon garlic yogurt sauce
Here’s what you need for the yogurt sauce. This is a simple, powerhouse sauce that’s incredibly versatile that I use frequently, from Chicken Shawarma wraps to draping over roasted pumpkin, koftas to lamb borek. Use a good Greek or Greek-style yogurt if you can, else any plain yogurt (not sweetened or flavoured).
How to make it
Toss and roast. That’s really all it takes! The chickpeas and spicy maple roast carrots will both take around 30 minutes in the oven so we can do them both at the same time.
How to serve these loaded spicy maple roast carrots
Think beyond the side dish! There you go! I’d love to know what you think of this dish. I always get a touch nervous with recipes I just invent on a whim, usually when I get inspired when I see a particular ingredient on special (in this case, dutch carrots!). – Nagi x I like doing these salad spreads because it’s something different, people alway like a selection of dishes, I choose salads that can be prepared ahead and it’s usually an easy way to deal with the inevitable presence of someone gluten-free, vegetarian and/or “trying to be healthy”.
Watch how to make it
Life of Dozer
Since Dozer and I started meeting readers in “real life”, he’s been blessed with adorable gifts from generous people. Here is a memorable one. It’s handmade. So touched a reader took the time to make this!! I just love it. 😇
