Salade de carottes rôties au miel – roasted carrot salad with honey and thyme Recipe
The French love pairing roasted vegetables with simple dressings and serving them as a salad, warm or at room temperature. In this version, carrots are roasted with honey and thyme, which makes them lightly caramelised and fragrant with herbs. Everything is finished with a lemon–mustard dressing and sprinkled with nuts, giving a very pleasant combination of sweet, tangy and crunchy elements.
Roasting the carrots with honey and thyme brings out their natural sweetness and adds a fragrant, caramelised edge, while the sharp lemon–mustard dressing and crunchy nuts create a balanced, restaurant-worthy salad with minimal effort.
Chef's tips
Cut the carrots into similar-sized pieces so they roast evenly and don’t burn at the edges before they soften. Don’t overcrowd the tray – good spacing helps them caramelise instead of steaming.
How to serve
Serve piled on a large platter, topped generously with herbs and nuts. It pairs especially well with roast chicken, baked fish or grilled halloumi, and also works as part of a mezze-style spread with hummus and fresh bread.
Ingredients
- carrots peeled - 600 g
- honey runny - 1.5 tablespoons
- olive oil divided into 2 + 1 tablespoon - 3 tablespoons
- thyme dried leaves or 2 teaspoons fresh - 1 teaspoon
- lemon juice - 1.5 tablespoons
- Dijon mustard - 1 teaspoon
- walnuts roughly chopped - 30 g
- parsley finely chopped - 2 tablespoons
- salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Peel the carrots and cut them into lengthwise sticks or thick slices of similar size so they roast evenly.
- In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the honey, thyme, a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the cut carrots and mix thoroughly so every piece is coated with the marinade.
- Spread the carrots on the tray in a single layer so the pieces don’t overlap.
- Roast for 25–30 minutes, until the carrots are tender, lightly browned on the edges and glossy from the honey. Halfway through roasting, toss the vegetables with a spatula.
- In a small bowl, prepare the dressing: mix the lemon juice, Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the roasted carrots to a bowl or serving platter while they are still warm. Drizzle with the dressing and gently toss.
- Sprinkle the salad with the chopped walnuts and parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Storage
Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature or gently warm before serving, then add the nuts so they stay crunchy.
This salad is one of those dishes that prove how a few simple ingredients and a hot oven can turn basic vegetables into something you’d happily serve to guests.
