Moroccan Carrot Salad
Thomas J. Story
Israeli chef Alon Shaya, of Denver’s Safta, buys bunches of young carrots. “The skins are more tender,” he says. “I roast them skin-on for the added nutrients.” Rather than throw out the carrot tops, he blanches them quickly in salted water to pull out the bitterness and turns them into a pesto.
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “The Recipes You Should Be Cooking This March.”
How to Make It
1
Heat the oven to 400°.
2
Toss the carrots with 1 tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt and spread them over a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until they’re sweet and tender on the outside but still have a raw crunch in the center, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
3
In a large salad bowl, combine the remaining 1⁄4 cup oil with the vinegar, harissa, sugar, spices, orange zest, and remaining 1⁄2 tsp. salt. No need to worry about emulsifying. Thinly slice the onion and toss it in the dressing, then pile in the carrots. Tear the mint leaves over the salad just before serving.
*Harissa, a North African chili-and-spice paste, can be found in well-stocked grocery stores and online.
Ingredients
2 lbs thin baby carrots, tops trimmed off (if using large carrots, peel and cut into 3-in. chunks)
1 tbsp plus 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 ½ tsp Morton kosher salt, divided
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 ½ tbsp harissa*
1 ½ tsp sugar
½ tsp sweet paprika
¼ tsp ground caraway
¼ tsp ground cumin
Zest of half an orange
Half of a yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp lightly packed fresh mint leaves
Directions
1
Heat the oven to 400°.
2
Toss the carrots with 1 tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt and spread them over a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until they’re sweet and tender on the outside but still have a raw crunch in the center, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
3
In a large salad bowl, combine the remaining 1⁄4 cup oil with the vinegar, harissa, sugar, spices, orange zest, and remaining 1⁄2 tsp. salt. No need to worry about emulsifying. Thinly slice the onion and toss it in the dressing, then pile in the carrots. Tear the mint leaves over the salad just before serving.
*Harissa, a North African chili-and-spice paste, can be found in well-stocked grocery stores and online.
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