The day I made this roast carrot dip I posted it on instagram. My friend Clinton had one word to say about it – why. Well, the answer to that is because I had carrots that needed using up, and a dip that needed making!
Head straight on to the Recipe For Roast Carrot Dip ♥
Dave and I tend to go overseas out of peak season. This means cheaper hotels and fewer people, but it can also mean colder weather. Most of the places we stay in have really good heating, and some have heated towel rails. Very often the heated towel rail provides enough warmth that we don’t need any other source to keep the temperature up. When we designed our bathroom this was one of the must have features. We chose a towel rail that is long and straight so that we could hang our towels over it side by side. This winter I decided to turn it on as soon as the cold weather descended on Gordons Bay. I left it on the entire winter, turning it off for the first time when we went overseas.
Today’s inspiration ♥ Recipe For Roast Carrot Dip ♥ can be found on Lavender and Lime Share on X
Not only did it keep our towels nice and dry and warm, it kept our bathroom heated. This is quite a plus as we have a completely open plan and double volume home. The week we went on leave we woke up later than usual. The first morning I went into the bathroom to shower and as I picked up my towel I felt that it was warm to the touch. I could not imagine anyone had turned the heater on but checked the switch to make sure. It was only after I checked that I realized that the sun had warmed the towels. I was amazed at how much heat had been generated in only a few hours from the sun. So tell me, do you have a heated towel rail and do you use it to heat your bathroom as well as your towels?
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Roast Carrot Dip
Ingredients
- 320 g carrots, topped and tailed and roughly chopped if large
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 rosemary stalks
- 2 cloves garlic, paper left on and cut in half
- 15 mls crème fraîche
- 2.5 mls chilli oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius
- Place the carrots into an oven proof dish and drizzle generously with the olive oil
- Season generously and then scatter the bay leaves, rosemary stalks and garlic cloves on top of the carrots
- Bake for 35 minutes and then remove from the oven
- Allow to cool to room temperature and then place into a blender
- Squeeze the garlic out of the paper into the blender and add the crème fraîche and chilli oil
- Blitz until smooth and adjust the seasoning before serving
Dave and I are midway through our December holidays. I will pop into my blog every now and then to read and reply to comments. Yesterday was Scarlett’s third birthday. Our Boxer has brought so much joy to our lives!
Inspiration published on Lavender and Lime December 28:
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- 2016 – Bed And Breakfast Hoofddorp
- 2015 – Pithiviers
- 2014 – Munich Airport
- 2011 – Festive Wreath
Hi Tandy, Trust you had a joyous Christmas and wishing you a healthy, successful New Year. I shall make the carrot dip for a nice change in the New Year. Cheers! Hugs xx
Thanks Joy, it has been a blessed festive season for us 🙂
hmmm. Why is the silliest question ever when it comes to food and a beautiful dip like this one!!!
I thought so too 😉
Tandy, all I have to say to your friend Clinton is “WHY NOT!” Your carrot dip sounds fantastic to me, but then I love carrots. We have heated towel racks in both bathrooms, but we need additional heat in the winter. We actually leave them on all the time except when we’re away on holidays.
Nice to have that continuous source of heat, and warm towels.
Our heated towel rail isn’t that good and it barely heats our towels. I want to return it because I’ve used ones that are much better. There’s no way that it would warm a bathroom!
That’s no good at all!
I think the dip sounds lovely, Tandy. We have a heated towel rail and underfloor heating in our bathroom. We use the rail just to dry our towels and the underfloor for heating the room. It is expensive otherwise.
I found the towel rail did not use up much electricity. We also have underfloor heating in our bathroom but we have not yet connected it 🙂
Living here in the Alps in France now the bestest thing in winter is a hot towel from a heated rack when you come out the shower and I warm my PJ’s on the oil radiator.. Always puts a smile on my face.. 😉
I do the same with my pj’s!
We have one heated towel rack in our “cabin up north.” I never thought about just leaving it on to make the bathroom cozy. Genius! Love the dip too. We get so many carrots from our CSAs that I always need new recipes!
I swapped my carrots out this week as I am fresh out of ideas 🙂