CHEF JOHN'S BOURBON GLAZED CARROTS

Chef John's Bourbon Glazed Carrots image

These butter-soaked bourbon-glazed carrots are the greatest special-occasion carrot side dish of all time. Sweet, savory, and oh so glossy.

Provided by Chef John

Categories Side Dish Vegetables Carrots Glazed Carrot Recipes

Time 25m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

½ cup butter
2 pounds carrots, peeled, cut into equal-sized pieces
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
½ cup bourbon whiskey
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves for garnish

Steps:

Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
When butter foams up, add carrots. Season with salt and cook, stirring, until liquid from carrots evaporates and carrots begin to brown around the edges, 5 or 6 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Carefully pour in bourbon. Cook and stir until bourbon is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.
Sprinkle in brown sugar. Stir until carrots are almost cooked through, about 5 minutes.
When carrots are nearly tender, raise heat to medium-high to thicken the glaze, 15 to 30 seconds.
Season with cayenne pepper and ground black pepper. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with fresh thyme leaves, if desired.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 292.1 calories, Carbohydrate 26.7 g, Cholesterol 40.7 mg, Fat 15.7 g, Fiber 4.3 g, Protein 1.6 g, SaturatedFat 9.8 g, Sodium 410.9 mg, Sugar 19 g