Prep School: Geoff Hopgood of Hopgood’s Foodliner shows us three ways to make spectacular carrots
Roast them. Toss a bunch of whole, peeled carrots with a quarter cup of softened butter, then wrap in tinfoil. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes until tender, then spritz with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt. Let cool in a sealed container. Grill the carrots until charred, cut into large chunks, and serve with creamy chèvre and fresh dill.
Purée them. Sauté a large bunch of roughly chopped carrots with four sliced shallots in butter for a few minutes. Add a pinch of salt, then boil in a pot of water for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Strain and purée in a food processor with three tablespoons of butter and some reserved cooking liquid. Serve warm with crème fraîche and sturgeon caviar.
Pickle them. Divide 10 raw, peeled carrots among three jars. Place a sprig of dill, a clove of garlic, half a cup of salt, two tablespoons of cayenne pepper and three cups each of white vinegar and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then pour over carrots and seal jars in a canning bath.
