Hasselback Smoked Carrots with Salsa Verde
If you know me at all, you know I’m very far from a vegetarian, so when I make vegetarian dishes, I always try to cook for meat-eaters. That is, if a meat-eater absolutely loves this veggie dish, without thinking that it needs a meat component, I’ve done my job right. And vegetables don’t have to be boring, there are so many delicious ways to make grilled vegetables on the bbq. I’ve also really loved playing around with smoking different vegetables on the Alchemy, or cooking them over the live-fire pit to get a beautiful fire-kissed char. Whether the vegetable is the star of the dish, or I’m grilling it up to use as a component of a sauce or as a side, I’m always trying to get it to have the most flavour possible. That’s why I absolutely love this recipe for Hasselback Smoked Carrots with Salsa Verde. It’s always a hit with meat-eaters and vegetarians alike!
You might be asking, what is a hasselback carrot? If you've ever heard of hasselback potatoes, you're going to want to try these hasselback carrots. If you’ve never had a hasselback potato, you might recognize it by it’s signature accordion-looking top, made by small slits that are cut across the top of the potato. You essentially do the same thing by cutting small slices into your carrots, always making sure they don't go all the way through. This method helps the carrots cook easily and evenly and gets whatever seasoning you’re using into every nook and cranny - it’s such an easy way to make your veggies look more impressive and taste even better. The carrots go into the smoker with butter and are seasoned with salt and pepper, the little slices help infuse the carrots with that buttery flavour and a hit of smoke. Once the carrots are tender they go onto the plancha for a beautiful golden sear and then are served up with an easy salsa verde, and topped with sliced almonds and grilled shallots. If you want to find out how to make my Hasselback Smoked Carrots with Salsa Verde keep reading, or jump to the full recipe.
Set smoker to 350F. Peel the carrots and cut off the greens, leaving about an inch at the top.
Cut shallow slits across the top of each carrot, making sure not to cut them all the way through.
Add the carrots to an aluminum tray or other heatproof pan and add the butter and season with salt and pepper. Place in the smoker for about 25 minutes, until the carrots are cooked but not overdone.
Place the green peppers and garlic in the smoker. Allow to cook until softened and nicely charred, about 15-20 minutes.
Place a small cast iron pan on the grill and fill with water. Add the shallots to the pan to blanche.
Remove the carrots, peppers and garlic from the smoker. Set the carrots aside. Peel the peppers and add to a blender.
Squeeze out the smoked garlic into the blender and add the canned green chilies, cilantro, juice from three limes, salt, pepper and olive oil. Blend until smooth.
Place the carrots on the plancha to sear, turning to get all the sides.
Remove the shallots once softened , peel and cut in half. Place on the plancha to grill with a bit of oil.
To plate, spread the salsa verde on the bottom of your platter. Place the carrots on top of the salsa verde, piling them on top of each other a bit to get some height. Garnish with the sliced almonds, season with salt and pepper and stagger the grilled shallots on top.
And now for the full recipe...
Hasselback Smoked Carrots with Salsa Verde
Serves 2-3 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
10-12 whole, mixed sized carrots
½ cup butter
Salt
Pepper
4-5 shallots
sliced almonds
Salsa Verde:
2 x 114ml cans diced green chilies
1 small bunch cilantro
3 limes
¼ cup olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic
2 Poblano or green peppers
Salt
Pepper
How to Make Hasselback Smoked Carrots with Salsa Verde
Set smoker to 350F.
Peel the carrots and cut off the stems, leaving about an inch at the top. Cut shallow slits across the top of each carrot, making sure not to cut them all the way through. Add the carrots to an aluminum tray or other heatproof pan and add the butter and season with salt and pepper. Place in the smoker for about 25 minutes, until the carrots are cooked but not overdone.
Place the green peppers and garlic in the smoker. Allow to cook until softened and nicely charred, about 15-20 minutes.
Place a small cast iron pan on the grill and fill with water. Add the shallots to the pan to blanche.
Remove the carrots, peppers and garlic from the smoker. Set the carrots aside. Peel the peppers and add to a blender. Squeeze out the smoked garlic into the blender and add the canned green chilies, cilantro, juice from three limes, salt, pepper and olive oil. Blend until smooth.
Place the carrots on the plancha to sear.
Remove the shallots once softened, peel and cut in half. Place on the plancha to grill with a bit of oil.
To plate, spread the salsa verde on the bottom of your platter. Place the carrots on top of the salsa verde, piling them on top of each other a bit to get some height. Garnish with the sliced almonds, season with salt and pepper and stagger the grilled shallots on top.
