This is a great way to use up the last ¼ cup of jam often left in the refrigerator. I like apricot the best, but you can use raspberry, blueberry, cherry or strawberry. Roast the carrots first, then dress and re-brown the carrots with the jam so the jam doesn’t burn beyond the point of pleasantness. Note: If your jam is particularly sweet, add a squeeze of lemon over the whole thing to tart it up.

Heat oven to 425°. Toss carrots with a glug of neutral oil and big pinch of salt. Spread them on a baking sheet, leaving some space between the carrots so they don’t steam, and roast in the oven until fully cooked, about 35 minutes.

When the carrots are golden brown, crispy and tender, spread almonds on the baking sheet and return to the oven to toast until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisk together jam and chili oil. Toss the carrots with the jam mixture and return to the oven to crisp, for 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer the carrots to a serving platter and scatter with the mint and almonds.

Chili Oil You can make this more complicated by adding other spices, like star anise, citrus peel and other peppers, but I find the most basic form works well for me and is so easy to make that I will whip it up at the last minute. It also lasts for ages so there is no reason to not make a double or triple batch.

Heat ½ cup of the oil until it shimmers. Remove from the heat and add chili flakes and salt. Let sit until fragrant, about 3 minutes, then add the rest of the oil to cool it and keep the pepper flakes from burning. Let cool and store in a jar on the counter. It will get more nuanced as it ages.