Excellent: the dialogue in The Philadelphia Story, any summer in the PNW, new socks, and properly sautéed carrots. Something magical happens when coconut oil and carrots meet. They become friends, but like instantly finishing each other’s sentences, friends.

Time to sauté some carrots.

Plate of roll cut sauteed carrots next to kosher salt

LET’S GET COOKING

INGREDIENTS

carrots
coconut oil (or ghee or butter… really, all three work just fine).

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by peeling your carrots. Yes, sautéed carrot excellence begins with the washing and removal of skin. Cooking can be so brutal at times.

Next, roll cut your carrots. You’re aiming for consistent size and things that look pretty. I joke about sandwiches being more delicious when they’re cut diagonally… this is the same thing. Pretty looking carrots are better than little orange hockey pucks. They just are.

I go into detail in the video on the “roll cut” technique. Go ahead, I’ll still be here. Also, the video is a minute long. You’ve got that kind of time.

Start a sauté pan and scoop in your coconut oil. Wait until your oil gets a nice sheen to it, then CAREFULLY slide your carrots in the pan. Slide them from the cutting board AWAY FROM YOUR PERSON. I don’t mess around with hot oil.

There are stories, but I’ll spare you.

Stirring constantly ensures that no one side of your sautéed carrots get over-sautéed and end up in Burnville. If you don’t want to stand over your stovetop for 7-minutes, set a timer for 30-seconds. It’ll be annoying, but you can do pushups while you wait.

BOOM! Workout and a side.

When they’ve shrunk and changed from bright orange to burnt orange, you’re done. Strain off the oil and salt them IMMEDIATELY. Always, always, always, salt oily food while it’s hot.

Plate your perfectly sautéed carrots, and enjoy!

EQUIPMENT

USA made sauté pan

FAQs

Do I have to use coconut oil?

No, you don’t. Actually, butter or ghee work really well with this recipe. Though I will say canola oil makes the dish taste flat and EVOO leaves me with a weird aftertaste.

Can I freeze these amazing sautéed carrots?

Absolutely. Keep in mind that if you’re freezing them they’ll get even softer when you reheat them, so I’d recommend a bit higher heat and a shorter cook time. That way you’ll get some of that delicious caramelization while still maintaining something that doesn’t resemble baby food.