This is a beauty!
Having grown up in a household where a chopped iceberg lettuce salad (with Wishbone Italian dressing) was the only game in town, I have always sought out beauty and variety on the salad plate in my adulthood.
This Ina Garten salad creation hits all the positive notes for me. It is gorgeous (and inviting) on the plate. It is delicious. And, there are those sweet mapley (is that a word?) carrots to die for.
This recipe is from Ina Garten’s cookbook Cooking for Jeffrey. You can find the cookbook at your local bookstore or on Amazon here.
Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen.
Maple-Roasted Carrot Salad
April 26, 2024
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots
- Good olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 1/4 C. pure maple syrup
- 2/3 C. dried cranberries
- 2/3 C. freshly-squeezed orange juice
- 3 T. sherry wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 oz. baby arugula
- 6 oz. goat cheese
- 2/3 C. roasted Marcona almonds
Directions
- Step 1 Peel and trim carrots into 2-inch pieces. Place carrots in a small bowl and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.Arrange carrots on two parchment-covered cookie sheets and roast carrots in a preheated 425 degree for 20 minutes, tossing once midway. Now, transfer all the carrots on a single sheet plan and toss with maple syrup. Return to the oven and roast for 10 to 15 minutes more. You want the edges of the carrots to begin to caramelize. Remove from the oven and let the carrots sit for about 10 minutes.
- Step 2 While the carrots are cooling, prepare the dressing by combining vinegar, garlic and 1/2 t. salt in a small bowl. Whisk. Whisk 3 T. olive oil into the vinegar mixture. Set aside.
- Step 3 Combine dried cranberries with orange juice in a small pan. Heat until the orange juice simmers and then take the pan off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- Step 4 To make the salad, place arugula in a bowl. Toss with dressing. Add cranberries with their liquid, carrots, crumbled goat cheese and Marcona almonds. Toss, add more salt to your taste, and serve.
