Glazed Carrots with Tarragon

I am usually a bit stand-offish when it comes to carrots.  Ever since I was a child I was never completely crazy about cooked carrots.  I love them raw with a nice dip or chopped up and added to just about anything.  But just a big serving of carrots as a side-dish?  Nah.  That is until I read about this recipe from Padma Lakshmi's cookbook Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day (which is a wonderfully fun cookbook, by the way).  She takes carrots, sautés them with onion and then glazes them with some maple syrup and fresh tarragon leaves.  Sounds interesting enough to give a whirl.  Plus tarragon is one of the herbs in my garden that I seldom use.  Not that I don't care for it, it is just a very distinct flavor of black licorice that I'm not usually drawn to.  She says that the maple syrup brings out the sweetness of the carrots and the tarragon gives an earthiness that balances everything out.  Sounds good to me!  Well I finally found "my carrot".  These carrots are now such a favorite of mine, when cooked in this way they move up to one of my most favorite vegetables.  The maple syrup isn't too sweet, and she is totally right, the tarragon does a perfect job at balancing the flavors.  Today I was lucky enough to use fresh young carrots grown from my parents garden which made them extra tender and sweet.  This would be a perfect dish for Thanksgiving dinner.  They are that special.  

Glazed Carrots with Tarragon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 1/2 pounds young carrots, scraped and sliced - 1 inch thick diagonally
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh tarragon
1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/3 teaspoon salt

First - Heat a deep skillet on medium heat; add the oil and butter. When the butter is melted but not burned, add the onions.  lower the heat if the butter starts to burn, and stir for a couple of minutes

Next - Add the carrots, and continue to stir for 6 to 7 minutes, depending upon the width of the carrots.

Lastly - add the tarragon leaves, ripping them apart as you add them to the skillet.  Drizzle the maple syrup into the skillet, add salt to taste, and stir the carrots until they are glazed uniformly, cooking approximately 3 to 4 minutes mores.  Serve as a side dish.  SERVES 4



I linked up my recipe on Mom's Crazy Cooking!