Roasted carrots get a fresh finish with orange and dill. Toasted buckwheat adds a dry, crunchy contrast. Serve this colourful side dish with pan-fried fish, grains or an omelette.
Carrots become sweeter in a hot oven and develop browned edges, while staying firm enough inside to hold their shape. So cut them into pieces of roughly equal thickness: thin carrots can be halved lengthwise, while thicker ones can be quartered. Leave some space between them on the baking tray; if they’re too close together, they’ll steam rather than roast. Rainbow carrots add a range of colours, but regular orange carrots work just as well.
Olive oil helps the carrots brown evenly and coats the chilli flakes. Add the orange juice and zest after roasting: this keeps the citrus bright and prevents the juice from burning on the baking tray. Grate only the coloured part of the peel; the white pith underneath can taste bitter. One small orange usually provides enough juice and zest for this quantity. If the fruit isn’t very juicy, use a second one.
Buckwheat has a pronounced toasted, nutty flavour and a crunchy bite. Use whole, hulled buckwheat groats and toast them in a dry frying pan. Shake the pan regularly and take the groats off the heat as soon as they smell fragrant and turn lightly golden. They burn quickly if left unattended. Buckwheat flour is not a substitute: it won’t turn crispy in the same way. Add the groats just before serving; otherwise, they’ll absorb moisture and lose their crunch.
Dill makes the dish herby and fresh; tear or chop the leaves just before using so they don’t get bruised into a wet mass. If you don’t have dill, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley works well, although the flavour will be less anise-like. Go easy on the chilli flakes and taste before serving: the orange should lift the sweetness of the carrots, not overpower it. A little extra salt can round out the flavours.
Serve the carrots warm or at room temperature, with a pan-fried fish fillet, cooked grains or a simple omelette. For a grain-based meal, you can serve the carrots on a platter alongside something like pearl barley; add the buckwheat at the table. Store any leftovers covered in the fridge and keep the remaining buckwheat separate. That way, the topping stays crunchy when you add it again at serving time.
Preheat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
Cut the carrots into pieces of roughly equal thickness. Halve thin carrots lengthwise and quarter thicker ones.
Toss the carrots on the baking tray with the olive oil, salt and chilli flakes. Spread them out in a single layer and roast for 25–30 minutes. Turn them halfway through; they’re ready when they have browned edges and a knife tip slides in easily, but they’re not completely soft.
Meanwhile, toast the buckwheat groats in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 4–6 minutes. Shake the pan regularly and take the groats off the heat as soon as they smell fragrant and turn lightly golden.
Mix the orange zest and juice into the warm carrots. Just before serving, stir through the dill and scatter the toasted buckwheat over the top.
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