These smoky-sweet carrots are a great example of how to utilize simple produce to create something extravagant. Truly, there’s nothing excessively fancy about any of these ingredients: carrots, olive oil, and a simple spice blend are served atop a luxuriously thick yogurt and topped with chopped hazelnuts. That’s it, and it’s really THAT good. Elegant for a dinner party or for a mid-week dinner, Roasted Carrots and Labneh are going to be on repeat, and you won’t be mad about it.

An essential rule of thumb when it comes to roasting: brown means flavor. Carrots have a natural sweetness and roasting will draw out those sugars, caramelizing the carrots with rich flavor. The carrots become even more divine as they sit atop a cloud of labneh and then drizzled with golden honey and crunchy, woody hazelnuts.

What is labneh, you might ask? Lebnah is a Middle Eastern-style yogurt, slightly thicker than Greek-style yogurt. If you can’t find labneh specifically then you can use a plain Greek yogurt in its place. As for the carrots…the carrots would be lovely on their own, but the yogurt offers a lovely kind of contrasting balance. The sweetness of the roasted carrots is tempered by the creamy yogurt. I love the pairing of flavors that occur here, something we’re often looking for in a meal is a balance of flavor, and the roasted carrots with the creamy yogurt strike a symmetry of flavor that makes a big impact.

I like to think of this dish as having four “phases” – first, roasted carrots, followed by a rich cool yogurt to balance the sweetness. Acid and herb is the next phase by adding fresh lemon juice that the dish naturally calls for and that’s followed by herbaceous greenery. The final phase is the combo of hazelnuts and honey to layer the dish with texture and savory sweetness. Each phase is intended to strike a balance of savory, sweet, creamy, and crunchy.

As much as a main dish makes a meal, side dishes often become essential compliments to the main course, and Roasted Carrots and Labneh is a side dish that holds its own against the rest of this beautiful menu. I’ll embrace any and every opportunity to take a handful of simple ingredients and transform them into a memorable – flavorful – moment.

Roasted Carrots and Labneh are from the Middle Eastern BBQ Menu at Table for 12. The menu includes Za’atar Flatbread, Shawarma Roasted Cauliflower, Grilled Lamb Kofta with Onion Relish, and Raspberry Pistachio Pudding.