I’m not sure why this recipe never occurred to me before. After all, I live on the front lines of the battle to get children (in particular, my own) to eat vegetables.
It’s usually a losing battle. Until I bumbled my way into this one.
I was making carrots with dinner a few weeks ago. Instead of seasoning and roasting them as I usually do, I decided to steam them. Then I got distracted, as I usually do. By the time I rescued the carrots from the pan, they were fall-apart tender.
That’s when it hit me. We mash potatoes. We mash squash. Some people even mash cauliflower. Why not mash carrots?
And so I did. With a bit of butter, milk, salt and pepper, I had a delicious vegetable dish with the consistency of mashed potatoes. The next night, I made it again (only this time on purpose). Instead of mashing by hand, I used the food processor to ensure an even smoother, mashed-potatolike consistency. Adding a bit of cumin made it even better.
It was a winner. And not just with me. The resident 7-year-old boy also approved.
MASHED CARROTS
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
3 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and ground black pepper
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the carrots, then cover the pot, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the carrots are very tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the carrots to a food processor.
Add the butter, milk and cumin, then process until very smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. You will need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl 2 or 3 times during processing. When the carrots resemble mashed potatoes, season with salt and pepper.
If you prefer a smoother or looser consistency, more milk can be added during processing.
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