Yesterday morning I decided to make a last minute Chicken Marbella recipe. I posted about it here and mentioned that it had become one of my faves. The side options for this dish are quite endless. I’ve made it with farro and rice but could imagine it with a salad, couscous, roasted vegetables etc.  One of my friends recently sent me a picture of her completed dish served over angel hair pasta with lots of fresh herbs on top. It looked delicious!

The great thing about Chicken Marbella is that is makes a lot of tasty sauce. Perfect for drizzling on top of your side – it seeps down into the rice or farro creating a nice burst of flavor.

This time however, I wanted something creamier. I kept coming back to mashed potatoes but I realized I only had one potato. Not gonna  work. After hunting around in my fridge I saw a bag of Trader Joe’s carrots in shades of purple, orange and yellow.

Perfect! Say hello to my new favorite carrot dish – Carrot & “One” Potato Pureé.

Ingredients:

• 9 large carrots cut into 1/2 – 1 inch slices
• 1 large russet potato, sliced and chopped into segments (keep the size similar to the carrot pieces)
• butter (begin with 1/4 stick and add more to your desired consistency if necessary)
• milk (begin with 3/4 cup and add more to your desired consistency if necessary)
• freshly chopped thyme and rosemary (about 1 1/2 tablespoon chopped)
• Salt and pepper to season

OK, this recipe is super, super simple. Simply, cut carrots and potato and add to a boiling pot of water. Cook until fork tender. Drain in a colander and dump back into the original cooking pot.

I used a Vitamix for this which made the consistency super velvety but I’m sure it would work just as well in a food processor or blender. Transfer potato and carrots to Vitamix and add milk and butter.  Blend everything until smooth and creamy. If you need more milk or butter add more and blend away! Transfer blended mixture to your pot, sprinkle with fresh herbs and desired salt and pepper and you are all set!

Of course I forgot to take a finished picture of this, as by the time dinner came around I was starving, but you can see in my “leftover” shot just how tasty it looks. A nice shot of orange and the perfect creamy balance to the chicken’s salty/vinegary brine. I didn’t miss having a bowl full of mashed potatoes one bit as these carrots were equally as delicious. By adding the lone potato, it does add a bit of traditional starch to the dish which works perfectly. Enjoy! It was a winner in my house.