Coffee Bean Roasted Carrots & Squash with Brown Butter Coffee Sauce

Coffee Bean Roasted Carrots & Squash with Brown Butter Coffee Sauce

Adapted from the Splendid table

½ pound thin carrots (no thicker than ½-inch diameter), peeled

½ pound of your favorite squash, peeled, seeded and cut into strips the same thickness as your carrots)

1 tablespoon olive oil

coarse sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

2-3 cups coffee beans

Preheat the oven to 225˚F.  Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat to heat for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the carrots and squash.  Toss with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Add enough coffee beans to the hot skillet to generously cover the bottom.  Shake the skillet until the coffee is aromatic and the beans look a bit oily, about 3 minutes.  Scatter the carrots and squash over the beans in a single layer and cover the pan with a lid or a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Bake until the vegetables are fork-tender and infused with coffee oil, 2 to 3 hours.

Remove the vegetables from the coffee and discard the beans.  Serve immediately.

Coffee Brown Butter Sauce

1½ tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

¼ teaspoon thyme

¼ teaspoon rosemary

2 tablespoons espresso, freshly brewed

Heat the butter in a small pot or sauté pan over medium heat until it foams and then begins to turn brown and has a nutty aroma.  Add the sugar and herbs.  CAREFULLY add the coffee and mix, swirling the pan.  Season to taste with salt.