Carrots with Dill

The week before Thanksgiving and everything at the daycare is turkeys. Paper turkeys, handprint turkeys, turkeys made out of pine cones and craft feathers. I have traced approximately four hundred toddler hands this week and my back has the curvature to prove it.

I love this time of year at work. The kids know it involves food and family and those two things make them genuinely joyful in the uncomplicated way only three-year-olds can be. A girl named Destiny brought in a sweet potato pie her grandmother made and I had a hard time explaining we needed to save it for Friday. She looked at that pie with such pure longing I almost gave in on the spot.

At home I have been prepping mentally for Thanksgiving. Most years I make the mac and cheese and the sweet potato pie. This year I want to add a third thing. I have been practicing a green bean casserole, not the cream-of-mushroom-soup kind but the real scratch version with bechamel and fresh mushrooms and crispy shallots. The key is the shallots. Slice them thin and fry in small batches so they actually crisp instead of steam. My first attempt I dumped them all in at once and they went limp. The second time I did three separate batches and they held their crunch all the way through the oven.

I texted Gloria a photo and she replied not bad, which is approximately her version of a five-star review. The pandemic Thanksgiving will be small, just the three of us. But I think about all those Thanksgivings before Gloria and James where the holiday just did not exist for me. Small and safe and warm still sounds like everything.

After all those batches of crispy shallots and the mental load of planning a third dish for the table, I wanted something on the menu that asked almost nothing of me — something that would just quietly be delicious while I kept my attention on the bechamel. Carrots with dill have become that dish for me: bright, buttery, done in under half an hour, and the kind of thing that makes even a small, quiet Thanksgiving feel genuinely abundant. Gloria and James deserve a full table even when the guest list is three people, and this has earned its spot.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch coins
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried dill)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon honey (optional, to balance bitterness)

Instructions

Prep the carrots. Peel and slice carrots diagonally into even 1/4-inch pieces so they cook at the same rate. Uniform slicing is the difference between some pieces mushy and some still crunchy.
Start the braise. Add the carrots and broth to a wide skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 8–10 minutes until the carrots are just fork-tender but still have a little bite.
Reduce and glaze. Remove the lid and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2–3 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the carrots begin to glaze lightly in the remaining broth.
Finish with butter and dill. Reduce heat to low. Add the butter and stir until melted and coating the carrots. Add the dill, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and honey if using. Toss well to combine.
Taste and serve. Adjust seasoning as needed. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with a few extra fronds of fresh dill. Serve immediately while warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Carrots with Dill — A Simple, Warm Side for a Thanksgiving That Finally Feels Like Home