Last week, the universe spoke to me in roasted carrots. Twice I was served them; twice they were delicious. But in the first case (at a Boston restaurant), the bigger ones were not cooked all the way through, and that bothered me. In the second case, my host expressed frustration at the suggested cooking time in the recipe — the carrots needed much more time in the oven to become tender.

The reality is that roasting and carrots are not necessarily a marriage made in heaven: Diplomacy is needed. (And size — how you cut them — matters.) So on Saturday, when I stopped at Ghost Island Farm and saw beautiful carrots (and a zillion other veg I wanted), I knew I was headed into the kitchen to roast carrots.

The result: Three methods, three recipes. The first recipe is the quickest and simplest. Rustic Roasted Carrots are handsome to boot; the carrots are only cut in half lengthwise, so they retain their lanky carrot profile — an essential quality if you’re a carrot who wants to star on Instagram or in an Ottolenghi cookbook.

The second recipe is something I’ve done for years: Roasted Carrot “Fries" with Dipping Sauce. Fry shapes are not as sexy but they do have the advantage of cooking more evenly – and making great nibbles, straight off the sheet pan.

But the third recipe yields the best texture — silky and tender, but not mushy. The technique I use is a cross between braising and roasting and it involves butter (of course) and a Pyrex baking dish. I finish the Butter-Roasted Carrots with a little dark local honey. 

Read more about the pros and cons of each of these three methods. And If that’s not enough beta-carotene for you, find plenty more carrot recipes on Cook the Vineyard. 

I admit I obsessed about one other thing this weekend: Sheet-pan chicken. For some time, I’ve wanted to convert my Mom’s oven-fried chicken into one of these all-in-one sheet-pan dinners that are so popular. This weekend we found the perfect fit, with garlicky cherry tomatoes and smoked-paprika-seasoned baby potatoes joining the floured chicken thighs (à la Mom) on the pan.

Voila, Crispy Sheet Pan Chicken with Baby Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Smoked Paprika and Thyme.

That’s it from my kitchen this week, but I know a lot of Island cooks who are making the most of the venison in their freezers. If you’re one of them, you might want to try Brian Athearn’s Venison Bourguignon or Beth’s Yogurt Venison Burgers.

For dessert, why don’t we stick with roasting (it’s all about the oven) and have Honey-Cardamom Roasted Pears? Or a Rustic Apple Tart if you’ve got a smidge more time.

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