An easy potato and carrot layer bake which makes a tasty and satisfying side dish the whole family will enjoy. Dairy and gluten free, and vegan!
So many great recipes come from my Mum, and this is one of them!
This potato and carrot layer bake is fabulous because it’s dead easy to make, and you get your spuds and veg all in one go. And of course it’s totally delicious!
Prepare ahead potato carrot bake
The other thing that makes it brilliant is that you can get it ready in advance, and then simply stick it in the oven when the time comes.
My oven has a feature whereby you can set it to come on at a predetermined time. More than once I have left the house with the potato and carrot layer bake sitting, poised, in a cold oven, and me praying to the kitchen deity that the timer would work and I would return to a crispy, browned, savoury and perfectly cooked side dish. To date – thank the heavens! – I have not been disappointed.
Simple ingredients – delicious results
This fabulous bake has only five ingredients, which just shows that sometimes simple things can yield terrific results. All you need to make a delicious carrot and potato layer bake of your own is:
- Potatoes – I have made this with both floury and waxy varieties of potato and it comes out good either way. Use whichever you prefer, or whichever you have on hand!
- Carrots
- Onion
- Vegetable oil
- Vegetable stock – from a cube/powder is absolutely fine!
That’s it!
This means that you probably have everything you need to make it in your kitchen already! What are you waiting for?
Herbs and spices
I really love this recipe because of its simplicity. If you use a well-flavoured stock, and a tasty onion, then your finished vegetable layer bake will be delicious! The natural sweetness of the carrot and the subtle flavour of the potato will be allowed to shine.
However, sometimes it’s nice to add a bit of zing and add a few more flavours. If you want to do this, I recommend just adding a shake or two of spices, seasonings or herbs to the carrot layer. Some things that work well include rosemary, thyme, black pepper, garam masala, and garlic. But you can add whichever spices or herbs you like!
Potato and carrot – Mix it up!
You can use this recipe/method with all sorts of root vegetables. I once made this vegetable layer bake with swede instead of potato. I’ve substituted parsnips and beetroots for the carrots. It always comes out delicious.
I usually include the sliced potato and onion and change things up by varying the grated vegetables in the middle.
Some vegetables that work well instead of, or as well as, the carrots, include:
- Swede/turnip/rutabaga (you can substitute slices of these for some or all of the potato too)
- Parsnips
- Beetroot
- Butternut squash
- Celeriac
- Sweet potato
You can also use them in combinations. Let your imagination go wild!
A bit on the side
You can serve your potato and carrot layer bake as a delicious accompaniment to almost anything. For instance, we enjoyed it with this cod with cheddar and leek crumb topping, and with this salmon with sun-dried tomatoes. It’s a great Shabbat side dish as it will sit happily in a warm oven for ages once it’s cooked, and still be delicious and perfectly cooked when you take it out and serve it.
If, like me, you don’t mind not having an identifiable lump of protein on your plate, then you can simply serve your potato and carrot layer bake with some green vegetables and call it dinner. Yum!
Serves 3-4.
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📖 Recipe
Potato and carrot layer bake
Ingredients
- 750 g potatoes, or thereabouts (approx. 5 medium potatoes)
- 250-300 g carrots (4-5 medium carrots)
- 1 small onion
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 200 ml hot vegetable or chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Peel the potatoes, rinse them, and cut them into thin slices – around 4-5mm (approx. ¼ inch) thick. Peel the carrots, rinse them, and grate finely. Peel the onion, halve and slice into thin crescents.
- Use 1 tablespoon of the oil to grease the base of a pyrex baking dish.
- Spread half the potato slices in a layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Spread the grated carrot over the potato, and then the sliced onion on top of the carrot. Finally, spread the remaining potato slices on top (or painstakingly arrange them in neat concentric circles, if you can be bothered!).
- Pour the hot stock over everything, then put the dish into the microwave and cook on high for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the microwave and brush/dab the remaining tablespoon of oil over the top layer of potato slices.
- Put the dish into the preheated oven, and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 45-60 minutes, until browning and crispy on top.
Notes
Nutrition
More delicious side dish recipes
If you enjoyed this potato and carrot layer bake, you might also enjoy
- leek and potato kugel
- delicious helzel potatoes
- yummy sideways potato gratin
- beautiful crispy potato roses
- roasted carrots with ginger and orange.
Vivi
Lovely potato & carrot bake. I microwaved new potatoes, then sliced them, microwaved sliced carrot & one shallot. Layered them in a dish added vegetable gravy granules to 200 ml, plus added fresh thyme, chives, cayenne pepper, black pepper, grated parmesan on top and baked in the oven for 30 minutes & was delicious. Thank you.
Helen
Your version sounds wonderful Vivi! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Wendi Vaughan-Noon
Loved this. I added thinly sliced Swede and then put grated cheese on top. It was yummy
Helen
Thanks Wendi – so glad you enjoyed it. I’ve also made it with all sorts of root veg and it’s always delicious 🙂
Vee
So I made a few tweaks to this recipe, and it turned out really well. I didn’t have onions on hand, so I substituted broccoli, then added onion powder to enhance the flavour. I also added celery salt, minced garlic, oregano and Cajun seasoning. Then I added one more twist that the vegetarians and vegans would never approve of – I substituted lard for olive oil. Not only has lard been proved to be healthier than a lot of vegetable oils because of its ability to lower bad cholesterol and it’s high quantities of Vitamins B and D, but it adds a mild smoky pork flavour that the veggies really needed, and it also crisps the potatoes much, much better than vegetable oil or olive oil will.
So, yeah, a few changes, but I really enjoyed the outcome. Next time I make it, I’ll be sure to have onions on hand as well. Thanks for sharing the dish. 🙂
Sue Church
Really liked this, but unfortunately piled everything into a dish that wouldn’t fit in the mic! Silly me, however I just covered it in foil and cooked in the regular oven, unfoiled and sprinkled with grated cheese for the last 15 mins. Very nice and a great way to use up leftover veg. Thanks Helen.
Helen
Ooops! Glad it turned out well in the end and that you enjoyed this 🙂
Denise Hutchings
I added grated cheese for the last 15 minutes of baking
Helen
Yum! Sounds great Denise 🙂
Barbara Uziel
There is no seasoning in this recipe; I added salt, pepper and za’ater and it still tasted bland. Some of the potatoes on top turned black which was very unappetizing. It was not a hit.
Helen
Hi Barbara. I’m sorry you were disappointed with this recipe. I usually find that the onion and stock adds enough flavour, but I’m surprised to hear yours came out bland even with those extra seasonings. Regarding the potatoes turning black – raw potatoes can turn black if they are exposed to air for a long time. This is why the recipe calls for you to microwave the dish for 10 minutes if you aren’t planning to bake it straightaway (or even if you are) as this should prevent the blackening – potatoes shouldn’t turn black once they are cooked. Brushing the tops with oil at this point in the recipe should further help to avoid the slices being exposed to air and turning black. Hopefully this will help you to avoid this happening again either with this recipe or any other. Thanks and all the best, Helen.
Beth
I thought this had great flavor but it was so watery due to my mistake. I wasn’t sure how much 200ml was in cups so I guessed. It ended out well when I poured most of the broth out and cooked a bit longer. It was good. Thank you for the recipe.
Helen
Hi Beth, sorry you had that experience but glad it worked out OK in the end! Just so you know, if you click “US Customary” next to where it says INGREDIENTS in the recipe card, it will convert the measurements to cups etc automatically. Hope this helps in future! All the best, Helen.
Carmen Meadows
No spices in this?
Helen
Hi Carmen, I usually just season this with salt and pepper. The vegetable stock also adds some flavour but mostly the taste of the vegetables is allowed to shine through. However, there’s no reason why you couldn’t add some spices if that’s how you like to do things! Anything that goes well with carrots would probably work, like cumin, turmeric, paprika or a blend of spices. I hope you enjoy it! All the best, Helen.
Linda
Can you freeze this
Helen
Hi Linda. I haven’t tried freezing this but in my experience carrots go kind of spongy when frozen and thawed, so I’m not sure it would be as nice defrosted and reheated as eaten fresh. Sorry! All the best, Helen x.
Rose
Hi, we tried the potato/carrot bake. It was very tasty but we had a lot of liquid left – almost like soup! The top was nicely browned. What do you think went wrong? We followed the recipe exactly. Thank you!
Rose
Helen
Hi Rose, The only thing I can think of was maybe try it in a shallower & wider dish? The liquid bubbles away at the bottom of the dish as the potatoes cook, and is either absorbed or else evaporates, so maybe you need a wider area for it to evaporate from? I sometimes have a tiny bit of liquid left but not what you describe! I hope this helps 🙂 All the best, Helen x.
Rose
Thanks, Helen, we’ll try. We want it to work!
Helen
I hope you have success! You can also try using a little less liquid and see if that makes any difference.
Doreen Eckstein
can i make your potato and carrot bake with idaho potatoes and sweet potatoes instead of carrots? 750 g is how many potatoes?
Helen
Hi Doreen! Yes, any kind of potatoes should work fine. I’ve never used sweet potato in this but I have tried other vegetables so I think it should work. 750g is about 5 medium potatoes – I’ve updated the recipe to show this. Thanks and all the best, Helen x.
Sarah
This looks delicious, but i was wondering if I cant put it in the microwave do I have to boil the potatoes slightly first or should I just cook the dish a bit longer in the oven? thanks
Helen
Hi Sarah. I think either method would work. I’d probably just bake it for longer, and maybe cover with foil if it looks like it’s getting too brown. I hope you enjoy it! Helen x.