Roasted Fall Carrots with ’Nduja, Cottage Cheese and Fennel Fronds

This is a wonderful recipe for making the most of a decent bunch of homegrown carrots. It really shows them off, bringing them front and center. They might not be quite as beautiful as those you find in the store, but they taste every bit as good, if not better. You can do something very similar with beets, but I love the color of carrots, particularly once they’ve been roasted. I’m using ’nduja, a soft, spicy, fatty sausage, to bring heat, character and plenty of flavor to the dish, but it’s easy enough to leave it out and replace some of that smoky warmth with a little smoked paprika instead.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 to 1¼ lb (500 to 600g) carrots, scrubbed and halved lengthwise if large
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves, separated but left in their skins
• 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
• A small handful of fennel fronds (if available)
• 1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds, roughly cracked
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5oz (150g) ’nduja sausage
• Warm flatbreads, to serve

For the whipped cottage cheese

• 10.5oz (300g) smooth cottage cheese or labneh
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
   
   
2. Put the carrots and sliced onion in a large roasting pan. Add the olive oil, garlic cloves, rosemary, fennel seeds, cracked coriander seeds and red pepper flakes. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss everything together well.
   
   
3. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once or twice, until the carrots are tender and deeply browned around the edges and the onions are beginning to caramelize.
   
   
4. When the carrots are nearly ready, dot the ’nduja over and around them in small pieces. Return the pan to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the ’nduja has softened and released its spicy oils. Gently toss everything to coat the carrots in the warm, fragrant oil.
   
   
5. Meanwhile, spoon the smooth cottage cheese or labneh onto a large serving platter or plate. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and gently stir everything together until creamy.
   
   
6. Arrange the hot roasted carrots, onions and ’nduja over the cottage cheese, along with all the delicious juices from the roasting pan.
   
   
7. Sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds and fennel fronds, if using, and serve with warm flatbreads for scooping everything up.