If you’re after relaxed yet simple dinner party-worthy dishes, Alison Roman’s Something From Nothing is the holy grail. Made for sharing, her spiced, butter-roasted carrots with walnuts are the perfect festive side dish.

Ingredients

2 bunches of small carrots (about 450g), unpeeled, tops trimmed
75g walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces (or more olive oil)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped or grated

Do ahead

The carrots can be roasted a few hours ahead of serving, and gently rewarmed in the oven if your kitchen is cold and/or the butter has solidified.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F.

2. For fun and if you feel like it, thinly slice some of the carrots into coins. Halve the remaining ones lengthways, quartering them if they’re especially large or thick (don’t overthink this!) – it’s just nice to have different shapes that lead to different textures once roasted.

3. Toss the carrots, walnuts and olive oil together on a baking tray and season with salt and pepper. Add the cinnamon, coriander, chilli flakes and fennel seeds and toss to coat. Scatter with the butter (or more olive oil). Roast, tossing every 15 minutes or so, until the carrots are deeply browned, well past the point of tender and starting to frizzle at the edges, 30–35 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven and toss with the raw garlic (the warmth of the carrots will soften the raw bite). Serve warm or at room temperature.

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