HARISSA ROASTED CARROTS AND BEETS WITH CRISPY SPICED CHICKPEAS AND LEMON-ZESTED YOGURT

There is nothing like oven-roasting to bring out deep flavors in beets and carrots; flavors rich enough to match their vibrant hues. This dish takes these flavors to another level with the addition of warm spices for pungent depth, lemon-zested yogurt for cool creaminess, a smear of Tunisian harissa paste for heat, and crisp chickpeas for crunchy textural contrast.

Harissa, the bright red hot chili pepper paste that UNESCO lists as part of Tunisia’s intangible cultural heritage, is made with roasted peppers, spices, herbs, garlic, and olive oil.

Because the three main herbs used in harissa paste are caraway, coriander, and cumin seed, we created a spice blend with those three seeds for the roast carrots.

A dollop of dairy—Greek yogurt we’ve mixed with lemon zest, salt, pepper, and lemon thyme—is tangy and cool next to the bright swipe of hot harissa. Or, if you have access to labneh—the creamy Middle Eastern yogurt traditionally made with goat’s milk—that works well in place of the Greek yogurt and has a similarly thick consistency.

Crowning the dish, the crispy chickpeas are very easy to make. Rinsed and dried well, canned chickpeas transform into crunchy golden nuggets when mixed with a little oil and seasoning and oven roasted. Make extra of these if you like—they are great for snacking.

SERVES 3 TO 4

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE VEGETABLES

• 6 slender carrots with the green tops
• 3 small beets
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
• Fresh cracked pepper
• Salt

FOR THE SPICE BLEND

• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

FOR THE CHICKPEAS

• 1 12-ounce can of chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

FOR THE YOGURT

• Zest from one fresh lemon
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or labneh
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon finely ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon thyme leaves (plus more to garnish)

GARNISH

• 1 tablespoon harissa paste
• Fresh lemon thyme leaves

METHOD

PREP CHICKPEAS

Pour can of chickpeas into a colander. Rinse well. Place rinsed chickpeas on clean, thick cotton cloth and gently roll them around a bit. Blot tops of chickpeas to dry them more with paper towel. Don’t worry if some of the skins separate. Set aside.

SEASON YOGURT

In a small bowl, whisk Greek yogurt or labneh with the zest of one fresh lemon. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper and 2 teaspoons fresh lemon thyme leaves. Cover and refrigerate.

MAKE SPICE BLEND

In a spice mill or coffee grinder, pulse caraway and coriander to a fine powder. Place in a bowl and stir in 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1/2 teaspoon of cumin.

ROAST CARROTS AND BEETS

Preheat oven to 400. Cut tops off beets; leave skins on. Rinse and scrub very well. Make a shallow little boat out of aluminum foil and place on large rimmed baking sheet. Place beets in foil boat, drizzle generously with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the sheet pan with the beet boat with more foil and roast for 20 minutes. Wash and scrub carrots well, leaving skins on. Trim tops leaving 1 ½ inches intact. Cut carrots in half lengthwise. After beets have roasted for 20 minutes, pull sheet pan from oven, lift foil, and spread carrots on half of the rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle carrots with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil then sprinkle with the ground spice blend. Flip and roll carrots in the oil and seasoning to ensure they are well coated. Add several grinds of black pepper and salt. Completely cover sheet pan with the foil again.

ROAST CHICKPEAS AND FINISH ROASTING CARROTS AND BEETS

Toss airdried chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of salt, and a teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper. Pour chickpeas onto a second sheet pan and place on second rack of oven. Place the foil-covered sheet pan of beets and carrots on the top rack of the oven. Roast beets, carrots, and chickpeas for another 20 to 25 minutes, until beets and carrots are tender and chickpeas are crispy. Remove from oven.

ASSEMBLE DISH

Lift carrots from sheet pan and arrange on serving dish, reserving the oil and spices from roasting pan. Slip peels off beets; slice beets into chunks, and arrange over the carrots. In a small bowl, whisk the reserved spices and oil from the carrots with 1 teaspoon honey. Dot some of this mixture over the beets and carrots. Add a few more grinds of black pepper and salt. Add a dollop of the seasoned Greek yogurt on top of the vegetables. Smear a tablespoon of harissa onto the yogurt. Sprinkle handfuls of crispy chickpeas all over. Add a few more lemon thyme leaves. Serve immediately.