Company Carrots

My friend, Kathryn, made this for one of her "get Sara married off" dinners. While the eligible bachelor didn't prove to be a success, this side dish was indeed a delicious success. I've made it many times. I don't imagine it would freeze well, but it does reheat very well in the oven on an oven-safe plate covered with foil.

Time: 10-15 minutes prep, 45 minutes baking
Serves: 4-6 adults
Degree of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
4-5 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2"x1" matchsticks
1/3 cup real mayonnaise
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
salt and pepper
coarse wheat or spelt bread crumbs*
butter

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat a medium sized pot about half full of water on the stove to almost boiling. Peel and cut up carrots according to above description. Put carrot pieces in water and let cook for about five minutes.

2. Meanwhile, chop up your onion and place in a small mixing bowl with mayonnaise. Drain carrots and add them to onion mixture. Stir well, and add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Smooth mixture into an ungreased 5.25"x9" glass baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. (I use a generous amount, making a 1/4" covering over all.) Drop small pats of butter randomly across the top.

4. Cover with foil. Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes covered, and 15 more minutes uncovered. Remove, let cool a minute or two, and then serve. Goes great with any roast meat dish, mashed potatoes, and a green vegetable.

*I make my own bread crumbs with leftover pieces of my bread. I simply slice the bread, put several slices on a cookie sheet and stick it in a 350 oven for about five minutes each side. I turn it once. Then I break it up into pieces, toss it in my food processor with the regular blade, and pulse until the crumbs are fairly smooth and uniform. I store it in a ziploc freezer bag in our freezer, and always have some handy for any recipe. This is a great way to use the last of the bread if it's a bit stale or if you just want to make a fresh batch (or if you have kiddos who refuse to eat the heels).