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I’m always on the lookout for yummy vegetable sides that add interest (but also aren’t too fussy). Where most veggies taste very, very yummy just tossed with olive oil, seasoned to perfection with salt and pepper, and roasted in a hot oven, sometimes it is nice to have something a little different, especially for special occasions. So when it was my husband’s birthday recently, I tried out this recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook.

It was an instant win. It is hard to go wrong with butter, brown sugar, and carrots but the ginger and caraway are what make this recipe stand out and shine. I’ve tweaked and streamlined the recipe just a touch and have also made it using frozen peas in place of some of the carrots. I’ll give my notes for that in the recipe below.

ginger candied carrots

Note: There is wiggle room with the amount of carrots. Anywhere between 1-2 pounds is a good go. The lesser amount (pictured here) will give you extra sauce, but it is delicious and can be sopped up with bread. The greater amount will still coat the carrots plenty. If you’d like to swap some frozen peas in for the carrots, that works too. I’d recommend about 8-16oz worth if you do.

Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 pounds carrots

• Kosher salt

• 4 tbs butter

• 4 tbs brown sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1/2 tsp caraway seeds

Directions:

1. Peel carrots and then chop into 1 inch thick slices. (I like to do this at a bit of an angle. The shape seems prettier.)

2. Place into a medium pot and cover with cold water. Add about 1 tsp of kosher salt (this will season the carrots). Bring water to boil, then lower to a simmer and cook carrots until tender (a fork should easily pierce with just a hint of resistance — tender, but definitely not falling apart). From cold water to cooked carrots, it should take about 25-30 min.

3. When carrots are tender, drain and set aside. In the same pot, melt butter over low heat. Add brown sugar, ginger, and caraway seeds. Mix well.

4. Add carrots back to the pot. (If you are swapping in some frozen peas for part of the carrots, add them here straight from the freezer.) Stir to coat, then cook for about 5 min over low heat. Then transfer to a serving dish. Enjoy!

Adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook.