CHARRED CARROT DOGS
6 servings
Choose the largest, thickest carrots you can find; they shrink during cooking, and you can always trim the narrow end to fit the bun.
Serve these carrot dogs nestled in buns with the toppings such as vegetarian chili, cheddar, chopped onion, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles/relish, ketchup and spicy mustard.
Make Ahead: The charred and peeled carrots can be refrigerated for up to 1 week; reheat them on a grill or in a 200 F oven.
6 very large carrots (see headnote)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Position a rack as close as possible to your oven’s broiler element or flame; preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet (preferably a small one so the carrots fit snugly on it for easier turning) with aluminum foil.
Arrange the carrots on the baking sheet; broil until charred, giving them a quarter-turn every 5 minutes or so, for a total of about 20 minutes. Once they are blackened all over, remove them from the baking sheet and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. (Alternatively, you can char them on a grill.)
Allow them to rest (wrapped) for 15 minutes, during which time they will finish cooking and will become infused with smoky flavor. Unwrap them, and once they are cool enough to handle, pull the charred exterior off each carrot just like you would for a roasted red pepper. (Do not rinse.) Drizzle the carrots with the toasted sesame oil, and season with the salt and pepper.
Nutritional information per serving: Calories: 160; Total Fat: 3 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 360 mg; Total Carbohydrates: 29 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 6 g; Protein: 5 g.
Adapted from “The Chubby Vegetarian,” by Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence (Susan Schadt Press, 2016).