Roasted carrot fries with a raw carrot-top chimichurri

Most of us grew up watching someone twist the greens off a bunch of carrots and drop them straight in the trash, so eating this dish means unlearning a small, automatic habit before it asks anything of your knife. AIP can feel like a long list of what to leave out, and here is a dish built entirely around adding something back in.

Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, the pigment behind their color, and your body turns a portion of it into vitamin A as it needs to. The chimichurri built from their own tops is rich in vitamin K, plus whatever vitamin E survives in the good olive oil. Roasting concentrates the carrots' natural sweetness instead of diluting it, and the raw green sauce on top keeps something alive and sharp against all that soft, caramelized orange.

There is a real, specific gratitude in using the part of the plant that most people throw away without a second thought. If your carrots come without their greens, parsley works just as well, so nothing here depends on finding the one perfect bunch. Either way, almost nothing goes to waste, and the plate ends up more colorful for it.

Ingredients

For the carrot fries:

• 6 to 7 medium carrots (about 1 bunch)
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fine Himalayan salt
• (freshly cracked black pepper omitted for AIP)

For the chimichurri:

• 1 cup chopped carrot greens, thick stems removed (about 1 bunch); or substitute flat-leaf parsley if your carrots have no greens
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or coconut vinegar (both AIP-permitted)
• 1 teaspoon fine Himalayan salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• (1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes omitted for AIP, as a nightshade)

Method

Heat your oven to about 425 F. Scrub the carrots and trim off the green tops, setting the greens aside for the sauce. Cut the carrots into spears or sticks of roughly even size so they cook at the same rate. Spread them on a sheet pan, drizzle with the teaspoon of olive oil, sprinkle with the salt, and toss so each piece is lightly coated.

Arrange the carrots in a single layer with a little space between them so they roast rather than steam. Roast until they are tender inside and lightly caramelized at the edges, turning them once partway through, around 25 to 35 minutes depending on thickness.

While the carrots roast, make the chimichurri. Add the chopped carrot greens (or parsley), the half cup of olive oil, the vinegar, salt, and minced garlic to a blender or food processor. Pulse and blend to a loose, spoonable sauce, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust the salt. When the carrots come out of the oven, pile them on a plate and spoon the chimichurri over the top, or serve it alongside for dipping.

*Adapted from gutsybynature.com*