Scalloped Carrots and Potatoes Carrots add sweetness to classic scalloped potatoes. A mandoline is the best way to slice them thinly and evenly – use wide carrots and slice them on a slight angle so you get a broader surface area. 3 T. butter 3 T. all-purpose flour 1-1/2 c. milk 2 c. grated aged cheddar or gouda salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 c. thinly sliced thin-skinned (Yukon Gold or red) potatoes 1 c. thinly sliced carrots
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the butter and flour over medium-high heat. Whisk in the milk and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for a minute or two, until the sauce thickens. Stir in a little more than half the cheese, season with salt and pepper and set aside. After a few minutes, stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
Roasted Carrots baby carrots, tops trimmed extra-virgin olive oil chopped fresh rosemary salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Scrub and trim your carrots, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil and roll them around with your hands to coat well. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper and roast for 20-30 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, until tender and starting to char at the ends. Serves as many as you like.
Layer half the potatoes and carrots in a buttered baking dish; pour half the cheese sauce over top. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and carrots, ending with the potatoes. Pour over the remaining cheese sauce and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly and a sharp knife poked in shows the vegetables are tender. Serves 6 to 8.
Carottes Râpées (Grated Carrot Salad) Paris food writer David Lebovitz says you’ll find Carottes Râpées on café and bistro menus around the city, and charcuteries sell it by the kilo. It’s not the mayo’d, raisin-studded variety you may find at a prairie potluck, but a properly dressed mess of crunchy grated carrots – use the sweet ones, preferably those grown in late fall/early winter, when the cold nights allow their natural sugars to develop. Cilantro swapped in for the parsley would be a delicious change, or the addition of a pinch of cumin or dab of Dijon. A mound of this salad goes well beside almost anything. 3-4 large carrots, grated a handful of Italian flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped juice of 1 lemon 1-2 T. extra-virgin olive oil 1 t. sugar salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large bowl, gently toss all the ingredients with your hands, tasting as you go, until the carrots taste just right. Feel free to add more lemon or oil, taking care to keep it very lightly dressed. Serves 6. continued on page 39
CITYPALATE.ca JANUARY FEBRUARY 2016
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