Thanksgiving Sides

Maple-Dijon Bacon Wrapped Carrots

Tender roasted carrots spiralled in crisp bacon and brushed with a sticky maple-Dijon glaze. Roasting them on a wire rack is the trick that gets the bacon crispy on all sides while the glaze lacquers into a glossy shell. It’s the easiest side you’ll make this Thanksgiving.

Serves 4–6 · 20 min active · 50–60 min roast

Made by Crowded Kitchen

Ingredients

Ingredients:

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•   10 carrots
•   10 slices bacon
•   3 tbsp pure maple syrup
•   2 tbsp honey
•   1 tbsp Dijon mustard
•   1 tbsp olive oil
•   .5 tsp smoked paprika
•   .25 tsp dried thyme
•   1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Ingredients are subject to availability at local stores. Unavailable items will be automatically substituted at best-effort.

Look for relatively thin carrots so they cook through before the bacon burns. If yours are thick, blanch them a few minutes longer. Plan for 2–3 carrots per person and scale up as needed.

Directions

Prep and blanch

1. Set up the oven: Preheat to 400°F (200°C). Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and set a wire rack on top — this is what lets the bacon crisp on all sides and keeps the mess contained.
2. Blanch the carrots: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the whole peeled carrots. Cook for 6–7 minutes — about 4 minutes for thin carrots, 8–9 for extra-thick ones. They should be just starting to soften but still firm.
3. Dry thoroughly: Drain the carrots and pat them completely dry with paper towels. Any surface moisture will steam the bacon instead of crisping it.

Wrap the carrots

1. Spiral the bacon: Starting at the thick end, wrap one slice of bacon around each carrot in a spiral. Space the turns so a stripe of carrot shows between each one, with no overlap — overlapping bacon won’t crisp evenly.
2. Secure the ends: Push a toothpick all the way through the bacon and the carrot at each end so it comes out through the bacon on the other side. This keeps the spiral tight as it roasts.
3. Onto the rack: Lay the wrapped carrots on the wire rack with a little space between them.

Make the glaze

1. Whisk: While the carrots start roasting, whisk together the maple syrup, honey, Dijon, olive oil, kosher salt, smoked paprika, dried thyme, black pepper, and apple cider vinegar until smooth and fully combined.

Roast and glaze

1. Render the bacon: Roast the carrots for 10 minutes, until the bacon fat starts to render and the bacon begins to shrink around the carrots.
2. First glaze: Brush the top side of each carrot with about ⅓ of the glaze, then return to the oven for 10–12 minutes.
3. Flip and repeat: Flip the carrots, brush the now-facing-up side with another ⅓ of the glaze, and roast for another 10–12 minutes.
4. Final coat: Flip once more, brush with the remaining glaze, and cook a final 10–12 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the glaze is glossy and set.

Check, rest and serve

1. Test for doneness: Slide a paring knife into the thickest part of a carrot. If it goes in easily, they’re done. If not, roast for 5 more minutes, laying a sheet of foil loosely over the top if the bacon is already crisp.
2. Rest: Let the carrots rest for 5 minutes so the glaze can set — but don’t leave them on the wire rack longer than 5–10 minutes, or the sticky glaze will make them hard to lift off.
3. Finish: Remove the toothpicks, transfer to a serving platter, and scatter over fresh herbs.

Make-ahead: Blanch and wrap the carrots up to a day ahead and refrigerate them on the rack. The glaze can be whisked together up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge — just give it a stir before brushing.