“Simple to make and delicious to eat. The hazelnuts (or some other form of crunch) are needed here, otherwise the textures blend too much. I love the pretty appearance of rainbow carrots, but ordinary orange carrots would work just as well. Perhaps try new-season baby carrots, with the tops left on? In my book, any dish with crowdie is going to taste great.”

Serves 2
Prep time: 10 minutes; cooking time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS
A handful of yellow, purple and orange rainbow carrots

2 tablespoons of Crowdie, whipped for a minute to make it lighter

1 tablespoon of toasted hazelnuts, crushed

4 tablespoons organic olive oil

A small handful of curly parsley

Good salt and pepper

3 cloves of garlic, halved

A few sprigs of thyme

METHOD
Heat the oven to 180°C / Gas Mark 4.

Scrub the carrots but don’t peel them. Cut some of them in half lengthways.

Heat a pan on the hob and add the carrots with half the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic halves and toss. Then add the thyme and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until the carrots are cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Make the parsley oil by blitzing half the parsley with the remaining oil and a pinch of salt. Whizz for a minute or two until a green oil is made.

To plate up, arrange the carrots on a plate and dot the whipped crowdie over the carrots and on the plate. Sprinkle the hazelnuts on top and a few parsley sprigs. Trickle the parsley oil over and season one last time. Serve at once as a starter, a nibble or a side dish.