Say that three times fast! It’ll cook up even faster. This dish is easy to whip up, amazingly creamy and rich, and versatile. We particularly love it with our Damn Skinny Yankee Pot Roast (page 104) and our Tuna Noodle Casserole (page 53).

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 to 8 servings

　　Cooking spray

　　4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

　　2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick pieces

　　1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste

　　1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

　　2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

　　1 1/2 cups heavy cream

　　3 medium garlic cloves, minced

　　1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

　　

Step 2

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, salt, pepper, and marjoram. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots just start to brown, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the carrots, stirring constantly. Cook until flour turns golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the cream while stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat.

　　

Step 3

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake until the cream is bubbling and the carrots just give way when pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until the butter just begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread crumbs are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.

　　

Step 5

When casserole has finished cooking, remove the foil and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs evenly over the top before serving.

　　

note

Step 6

Vegetarian friendly!

　　From The Casserole Queens Cookbook by Crystal Cook & Sandy Pollock. Copyright © 2011 by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock; Food photographs copyright © 2011 by Ben Fink. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers.Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock, the Casserole Queens, have been delivering casseroles in Austin, Texas, since 2006; they also teach cooking classes at Whole Foods stores in the area. They have been featured on Food Network's Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and Bobby Flay Radio on Sirius XM, as well as on television news and radio talk shows.