Oh, how I love Glazed Carrots—they’re so easy to make and yield such a delightful and impressive result. Bright, colorful, and scrumptious, they’re equally appropriate for a Tuesday evening dinner by yourself or for an elegant Thanksgiving or Christmas Spread.
Oh, how I love Whiskey—I just thought I’d throw that in.
Yesterday I decided I wanted to do a glazed carrot recipe for the site today, but wanted to set out to make a variation on the same old butter-sugar theme. One delicious twist on the old standard is to use orange juice in the glaze, and I almost went that route…
Until my boring hazel-green eye caught a glimpse of the big ol’ bottle of Jack Daniels sitting on my kitchen counter. And I thought, Glazed carrots…whiskey…glazed carrots…whiskey…
Then I took a great big swig and got started.
I didn’t really take a swig. It was 2:00 in the afternoon and E.T. was on the TV in the kitchen. And anyone who was raised right knows you can’t drink whiskey while you’re watching E.T. It ain’t fittin’.
I love that movie. Boy, does it make me cry.
The Cast of Characters: Carrots, Butter, Brown Sugar, Whiskey (Jack Daniels works well), Salt and Pepper. Also: fresh chives, if you have ’em.
Begin by peeling 2 to 3 pounds of carrots.
Then slice them into circles.
Not too thin, not too thick.
If you have an iron skillet, it works the best. But any large skillet will do.
And if you could ensure that your skillet still has remnants of breakfast in it, I’d appreciate it. It’ll make me feel better about life.
What we’re going to do now is get a nice color on the carrots. With the skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon butter.
Swirl it around to coat the skillet thoroughly.
Listen for the sizzle, then give thanks for animal fat. I do it daily.
Make sure the skillet is extremely hot, then throw in half of the carrot slices. Then leave ’em alone for a second. Don’t stir right off the bat.
After they cook for about 45 seconds, flip ’em around…
Then remove them to a plate. Total cooking time should be no longer than 90 seconds or so.
Next, make sure the skillet’s hot again…
And throw in the rest of the carrots, repeating the process. Remember: you don’t want to cook the carrots at all during this stage; just give ’em a little color.
See how some of the carrots are getting nice and blackish-brown? That’s what I’m going for here.
Note: You can omit this initial browning step and just begin with the glaze, adding the carrots afterward. But I have an addiction to brown/black surface area, and unless you do it at the beginning, you won’t get another chance.
But don’t do it just because I said to.
When you’re finished, keep all the carrots near the stove until you need ’em.
Now, with the same skillet over high heat, pour in the whiskey. Stand back and be careful, for the love of Pete, anytime you use alcohol near an open flame.
I must add, however, that in all the years I’ve cooked with booze, I’ve never, ever singed my eyelashes.
Now, don’t get mad. Reduce the heat to medium, then add in the rest of the stick of butter.
I SAID don’t get MAD! I’m just being me.
Allow the butter to begin to melt…
Then sprinkle in about 3/4 cup packed brown sugar.
(Okay, so I used about a cup. But not everyone has the sweet tooth I have.)
Stir the heavenly, sweet, boozy mixture together and allow it to come to a bubble…
Oh. And use your hand to waft some of this ridiculous concoction toward you. Then breathe in. Then breathe out.
Then die a thousand deaths.
Then get up off the floor. You’ve got some cooking to do.
Now just dump the carrots right in!
Use a spatula to arrange the carrots in as close to a single layer as they can get.
Make sure the glaze is bubbling…
Then cover the skillet for about five minutes. Stand there and watch E.T.
Cry. Notice how adorable Drew Barrymore was when she was little. Notice the same thing about Henry Thomas. Have a flashback to seventh grade, when you first saw the movie. Pick food out of your phantom braces.
After five minutes, remove the lid. The glaze should be thicker, but cooking for an additional 3 to 5 minutes will thicken it up even more.
And if your skillet appears to have less glaze than this, don’t be downhearted; I used slightly less than 2 pounds of carrots.
For the love of Pete and his brother, PLEASE don’t be downhearted. Life’s too short!
Now’s the time to throw in the salt. Don’t underestimate this ingredient here: it really offsets the sweetness of the glaze.
And, as always, Kosher salt is your best friend, lover, and most loyal companion.
Freshly ground pepper works well, too. But I won’t hold it against you only have the powdery stuff.
It’s happened to me before.
Now stir it around, taste a carrot to make sure it’s not too firm, and turn off the burner. It’s time to serve it up.
Now, if you could, please grab the smallest of three white ceramic platters you impulsively bought at Sam’s Club in 2004 with a newborn baby attached to your bosom, and pour on the contents of the skillet.
I love impulsively buying things at Sam’s Club. One time I actually bought ten pounds of plain M & M’s and 20 cans of cream of mushroom soup.
I still have that dadgum soup in my pantry. I’m afraid to throw it out. I’m afraid what I’ll have to face about myself if I do.
I had removed some of the excess glaze earlier, but you know what? I just decided to pour it back on. It has WHISKEY in it, for the love of Pete. This stuff can be drunk with a straw!
(You really don’t have to drown the carrots in the glaze like I did. But I like spooning a little extra over the top of each serving.)
I decided the carrots could use a little greenliness, as well as a little bit more flavor, so I waded through the dying, weepy foliage in my vegetable garden and found my chives, which are doing just fine.
You’re all planting chives next year. I’ll see to it. Amen.
Mmmm…how pretty is that? And I’m always amazed at what a flavor punch chives provide.
Stick a serving spoon in the mix, and it’s time to serve ’em up.
And oh, what a wonderful time it is. I gobbled these up ’til I embarrassed myself.
And you will, too. I know it.
Unless, of course, you don’t like carrots.
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Posted with lots and lots of holiday side dish love by Ree Drummond.
