Carrots are wonderful just as they are, but when you roast them, magic happens. Not only do they get soft and tender in the oven, the baking also deepens their flavor and morphs their natural sugars into something sweet and caramelized. It’s a whole different experience than eating them when they’re pulled straight from the ground – they’re so much sweeter – and while I am absolutely happy to eat them roasted with nothing but a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, this garlic parmesan version is my favorite way to dress them up even more. It’s a master class in the balance of sweet and savory.

I love it when something so delicious comes together so easily and that’s just the kind of side this is. The only knife work you have to do is to chop up a few carrots and mince a couple of cloves of garlic. Oh, there’s some fresh parsley to mince too, but that’s no bother. You toss the carrots and the garlic with melted butter, thyme, and salt and pepper, before you add in a generous helping of parmesan cheese.

I will usually advocate for using freshly grated Parmesan but this is one place where I fully appreciate the stuff in the shaker can. The melted butter helps it stick to the entire surface of the carrots and baking it gives you somewhat of a crispy Parmesan crust. It’s delicious. The buttery, garlicky, cheesy, herb-kissed coating is just the thing to contrast the sweet caramelized flavor of the carrots – my family scarfs these down faster than any other veggie side I set in front of them.