For average folks who just love cooking but aren’t master chefs, cooking something that is doable but still looks impressive can be a challenging task. It’s difficult to find a meal or even a side dish that brings the “wow factor” to the table but that is also manageable for moderately experienced cooks.

This is especially true for cooks, like myself, who don’t necessarily have exotic sauces and herbs lying around or the culinary skills to make vegetables look like flowers, soufflés rise with grace, or an artistic eye for plating a sauce with an elegant flourish. It’s the reason why the Food Network’s top 10 recipes are all comfort food with ingredients that we all recognize and cooking methods we know.

We’re willing to be adventurous, but who wants to buy a whole bottle of fish sauce for just one recipe or risk making a meal way beyond our skill level that will only end in disaster and disappointment?

So, for my remaining garden carrots, I wanted to find a simple way to make them look gorgeous, as in Stephen Fry sort of style of “gorgeous” but without the British accent. I truly wanted them to be “moist and sticky and lovely.” I decided on glazed carrots, which are certainly moist and sticky, and by the amount of butter involved, lovely by default.

I tried out two different Glazed Carrot recipes, one from the amazing food Network host Alton Brown and the other from the recipe web site cdkitchen. Do both taste delicious? Yes. Are both almost ridiculously easy to make? Oh yes. But, the best part is: They look like they took a lot of work and cooking skill.

They look as beautiful alongside a steak as they do simply on their own. Garnish with a dash of parsley if you’d like, although these carrots shine by themselves.

Alton’s Ginger Ale Glazed Carrots

1 lb. carrots, approximately 7 medium, peeled (optional, in my opinion) and cut on the bias 1/4-inch thick
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Heavy pinch of kosher salt
1 c. good-quality ginger ale
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. In a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat, combine the carrots, butter, salt and ginger ale. 2. Cover and bring to a simmer.

3. Once simmering, remove the lid, stir, and reduce the heat to low.
4. Cover again and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Remove the lid, add the chili powder and increase the heat to high. 6. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the ginger ale is reduced to a glaze, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.

cdkitchen’s Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

1 lb. carrots
1/4 tsp. salt, if desired
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/8 c. margarine or butter
1/2 tsp. grated orange peel (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Peel the carrots (optional, in my opinion), and cut into 1/4-inch slices.
2. Heat 1 inch water to boiling in the saucepan over high heat. Add the 1/4 teaspoon salt if desired.
3. Add the carrot slices. Cover and heat to boiling again.
4. Reduce heat just enough so water bubbles gently. Cook covered 12 to 15 mins or until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork.
5. While carrots are cooking, heat the brown sugar, margarine, orange peel and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbly. Be careful not to overcook or the mixture will taste scorched. 6. Remove the skillet from the heat.
7. Drain carrots in a strainer, then stir them into the brown sugar mixture. 8. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and gently, until carrots are glazed and hot.