Vichy carrots

Vichy carrots

This classic French technique is our favourite way to cook carrots, whatever the time of year. It’s particularly good at Christmas – especially when you add star anise, thyme and lemon to give the dish a bright sweetness.

Vichy carrots

Serve alongside these golden rosemary roast potatoes.

  • Serves icon Serves 6-8
  • Time icon Hands-on time 10 min. Simmering time 20 min

This classic French technique is our favourite way to cook carrots, whatever the time of year. It’s particularly good at Christmas – especially when you add star anise, thyme and lemon to give the dish a bright sweetness.

Serve alongside these golden rosemary roast potatoes.

Nutrition: Per serving (for 8)

Calories
130kcals
Fat
8.7g (5.3g saturated)
Protein
0.7g
Carbohydrates
9.7g (9.2g sugars)
Fibre
4.9g
Salt
0.1g

Before you start

Simmering carrots in butter as well as water is a simple way to add richness. They absorb the butter as they cook, becoming sweet and soft. Simmering in a wide, open pan means the water evaporates quickly, leaving the butter behind, which glazes the carrots towards the end of cooking (it’s a cheffy French technique, hence the term ‘vichy’). The lemon zest and juice give them a wonderful bright tang to finish.

Before you start

Simmering carrots in butter as well as water is a simple way to add richness. They absorb the butter as they cook, becoming sweet and soft. Simmering in a wide, open pan means the water evaporates quickly, leaving the butter behind, which glazes the carrots towards the end of cooking (it’s a cheffy French technique, hence the term ‘vichy’). The lemon zest and juice give them a wonderful bright tang to finish.

Ingredients

  • 2 star anise
  • 1kg carrots, scrubbed and cut into 4-5cm batons
  • 80g unsalted butter
  • Pinch caster sugar
  • Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
  • Thyme leaves to sprinkle, plus extra to garnish
Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

  1. Set a large frying pan or sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the star anise and toast for about a minute until fragrant. Add the carrots, butter, sugar and lemon zest, plus a good pinch of salt. Pour in enough water to almost cover the carrots.
  2. Bring to the boil and simmer briskly, stirring every now and then, for 15-20 minutes until all the water has evaporated, the carrots are just tender and they’re coated in a buttery glaze.
  3. Squeeze in half the lemon juice and scatter over the thyme leaves. Stir, then transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with more thyme and serve with the remaining lemon half.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
130kcals
Fat
8.7g (5.3g saturated)
Protein
0.7g
Carbohydrates
9.7g (9.2g sugars)
Fibre
4.9g
Salt
0.1g

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Emily Gussin
Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

Subscribe

Fancy getting a copy in print?

Subscribe to our magazine

Rate & review

Rate

Reviews

Share a tip

Or, how about...?

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Christmas turkey recipes

Roast turkey

Roast turkey that’s beautifully presented, richly flavoured, tender and juicy...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Brussels sprouts recipes

Fondant sprouts with bacon and chestnuts

Crisp, buttery sprouts strewn with chestnuts and bacon will become...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Roast potato recipes

Rosemary roast potatoes

Roast potatoes are secretly everyone’s favourite part of Christmas dinner....

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Christmas trimmings, sides and sauces

Butter-roast parsnips with hazelnuts and sage

Parsnips deserve better than to be cut into little pieces,...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Christmas trimmings, sides and sauces

Christmas roast parsnips and carrots

Make Christmas dinner (or any Sunday roast) a little easier...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Carrots with thyme and chilli

Jazz up your carrots with chilli and thyme in this...

Subscribe to our magazine

Food stories, skills and tested recipes, straight to your door... Enjoy 5 issues for just £5 with our special introductory offer.

Subscribe

Unleash your inner chef

Looking for inspiration? Receive the latest recipes with our newsletter

We treat your data with care. See our privacy policy. By signing up, you are agreeing to delicious.’ terms and conditions. Unsubscribe at any time.