Thanks: Carrot Salad with Miso and Ginger

This Thanksgiving, we went to my cousins Sara and Ari’s place in Suffern, NY. Ari is a master of turkey roasting, and for three years now he’s cooked the best bird I’ve ever had. We also got to share the holiday with Ari’s family, which was a pleasure. In addition to the turkey, there was stuffing, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, quinoa, cranberry sauce, and more, all delicious.

For my part, I brought an enormous batch of potato leek soup (secret additional ingredient: Jerusalem artichokes) and a new recipe that I’ve been working on, a carrot salad with miso and ginger. I figured that with all that meat and starch*, a bright, crunchy raw vegetable would be a welcome addition to the Thanksgiving table. It’s equally good on the side of a turkey sandwich. Recipe below.

Thanks to Sara and Ari for hosting such a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for so much this year, way too much to list here, but having such a great family that I love spending time with is at the top of the list. Getting to watch that family expand and grow is just gravy. Pun intended. Sorry, I had to.

*This is no way meant to knock starch. I love you, starch. I will always be thankful for starch.

Carrot Salad with Miso and Ginger

This salad is a take on the salad you usually get at Japanese restaurants, with its addictive miso carrot dressing. I just took the carrot out of the dressing and made it the bulk of the salad. The bright sauce is adapted from a recipe in How to Cook Everything, and it tastes good on just about any vegetable, though carrots work especially well. You can grate the carrots by hand, but it’ll take forever, whereas if you do it in the food processor, this dish takes no time at all. This tastes great fresh, but even better after a few hours in the fridge, or better yet, a full 24 hours.

1 pound carrots, peeled and shredded with the grating disc of a food processor
1 tablespoon white or yellow miso
1 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon neutral oil, like grapeseed or vegetable
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 inch piece of ginger, finely grated, or more to taste
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together the miso, vinegar, ginger, and oils. Add the carrots and toss to combine. Garnish with the scallions and serve.