Yummiest baked carrots ever!

In a quest to undo some damage that my "hobby" of trying new restaurants does, I've started experimenting low-cal ways of eating my veggies. I'm always looking for flavor, even in my boiled veggies. Last night, I felt a little bolder (and lazier) than usual and decided to bake my carrots to accompany some pieces of grilled chicken breasts for dinner.

A quick internet research on how to best bake carrots, I found myself yet again on the page of one of my favorite people...Jamie Oliver! knowing how simple, healthy and, most importantly, yummy his recipes have turned out in the past, I tried baking the carrots like he suggested. Try it out but please remember that I love this guy so don't come back to me with comments like, "I love Jamie too!" I do not react very well to real or imagined threats to inaccessible men I love...especially when that particular crush is a divine cook.

Okay, here we go:

• 750 g young bunched carrots, different colours if possible, washed and scrubbed
• olive oil
• Vinegar (or red wine vinegar if available)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
    

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Toss your carrots with a good lug of olive oil, a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper, the thyme sprigs and the garlic cloves. Place in a roasting tray or earthenware dish, cover tightly with tinfoil and cook for 20-30 minutes until just tender. If you like your carrots browned and caramelized, remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes.

See how simple that was? it took 2-3 minutes to prep and shove the carrots into the oven  and in the meanwhile I grilled my chicken.