Roasted Carrots with Harissa Sauce

Mulitcolored carrots. (Lexington Brass)

Move aside pumpkins! While carrots are the often-overlooked stars of fall and winter vegetables, they come many vivacious colors and preparation styles. This dish features multi colored carrot varieties such as black midnight, red, orange and yellow.  Harissa, a Mediterranean-inspired sauce, offers a kick of spice while contrasting textures of the carrots balance out the dish. Add superfood yogurt to the mix and you've got a colorful, healthy side.

Cook Time:30 min

Prep Time:15 min

Total Time:45 min

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Tri colored carrots (cleaned but not peeled with 1Ž2 inch of stem attached)

Carrot tops (cleaned thoroughly)

Mint leaves, chiffonade

10 Pasilla chili

8 Fresno peppers

1/2 teaspoon, Black peppercorn

1/2 teaspoon, Coriander

1/2 teaspoon, Whole cumin

1 tablespoon, Oregano

1 tablespoon, Salt

5 cloves, garlic

1/4 cup EVOO

Lemon juice TT

4 ounces Harissa sauce (above)

15 ounces Greek yogurt

7.5 ounces orange juice

7 tablespoons Honey

1 tablespoon Salt

Preparation:

Toss carrots in extra virgin olive oil and salt. Separate into two trays, with big carrots in one and small carrots in another. Roast in a 350 F oven until almost cooked through. They should be slightly under cooked. Cool immediately.Fry carrot tops in fryer until crispy. Season with salt.

Pour boiling water over pasilla chili to cover and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then discard stem and most of the seeds.Cut stem off of fresno pepper and discard most of the seeds. Heat EVOO in a small sauce pot and “sweat” fresno pepper and garlic lightly, no color then add dried spices minus oregano. Blend all ingredients in vitamix along with salt and oregano. Do not pass through chinois. Cool in an ice bath.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly.