26 May Roasted Carrot with Labneh and Herb Oil

Simple and beautiful carrot with labneh and herb oil is a lovely dish to celebrate young spring carrot. It tastes great served by itself, but even better with some grilled chicken, beef, or lamb and, of course, warm flatbread. I like roasting my carrot until it’s very soft and slightly charred. Paired with creamy and tangy labneh and some bright herb oil, it becomes simply irresistible.

Store-bought Labneh vs Strained Greek Yogurt

I know that not every store carries labneh. But fear not, this wonderfully creamy and tangy soft cheese is nothing else but strained thick yogurt. Since my grocery store doesn’t have labneh, I just buy a large pack of full-fat Greek yogurt and strain it for at least 6 hours, or better overnight, in a fine mesh thieve lined with cheesecloth. This method works great. In just a few hours, you’ll get rich and thick ready to use labneh.

What’s Dukkah?

Dukkah aka Duqqa is a wonderful, crunchy, and flavorful Egyptian and Middle Eastern spice and seed mix. I recently posted my Slavic-style Sunflower Seed Dukkah with Eastern European nuts, seeds, and spices. It tastes great in this recipe and takes only 10 minutes to make. You can also use the ingredients you have at home. Dukkah is an incredibly versatile condiment.

Herb Oil from Scratch

Nothing will make your food look fancier than bright and aromatic green oil drizzled on top. It adds a pop of color and favor and instantly brings the dish to a new level. Although herb oil is ridiculously easy to make, not many people do it. But hopefully, this will change soon. All you need is a good quality mild extra virgin olive oil and a bunch of soft leaves fresh herbs.

My favorite herb mixes:

• Tarragon, parsley
• Cilantro, parsley, mint
• Dill, parsley
• Basil, parsley
• Shiso, mint

Roasted Carrot with Labneh and Herb Oil

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Ingredients

  

For the carrot:

• 1 pound young thin carrot, washed and peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups labneh or strained Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons Dukkah

For the herb oil:

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs tightly packed

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 425F and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Toss the carrot with olive oil and salt and place it on the baking sheet. Roast until soft and slightly charred 20 to 25 min.
• Meanwhile, blend the herbs and extra virgin olive oil until smooth. Set aside. You can store this oil in the fridge for up to 10 days.
• Remove the carrot from the oven and let cool slightly. Spread the labneh or strained yogurt on a serving platter and arrange the carrot on top. Drizzle with the herb oil and top with dukkah mix. Serve right away!