If it wouldn't shred my lips and cause all sorts of aesthetic, bloody chaos, I might make out with my julienne peeler. I can just see us, entangled in a passionate embrace, when all of a sudden I'd pull away and half my mouth will have turned to shoestrings.
With carrots, though, and with cucumbers, jicama, long radishes, zucchini, and even beets, this unique hand-held tool (here's my julienne peeler) is quite versatile, and once you start using it you'll find yourself rather hooked. In fact, if I liked fried potatoes, I'd probably spend all day long just running the thing over some russets. I'd be like Big Anthony in Strega Nona, but instead of spaghetti I'd fill the house with potato strands until the door busted its hinges and all of Silicon Valley overflowed with hashbrown-ready starch. Pandemonium would ensue. Techfolk would be forced to use their iPads as flotation devices and their motherboards as oars, weaving in and out of displaced Priuses on a sea of stringy spuds.
An alternative plan, though -- especially for beginners not quite ready to inflict potato-armageddon on their neighbors -- would be this: brush your favorite flatbread (I like whole wheat naan) with olive oil on both sides and dust generously with salt and pepper. Then grill just a minute or two per side, or until the bread's no longer floppy like an earlobe. Pile high with carrot shreds and additional veggies of your choice. I went with rounds of Early Girl tomatoes and English cucumbers above, but you can use anything you like, avoiding the knife altogether and shoestringing the entirety of your produce bin if so moved. When you're done, hit the top with a little vinaigrette, salt and pepper, and wham! bam! all of a sudden you have yourself a colorful little open-faced salad sandwich.
I'll leave you with this hard-won advice: if you find yourself getting a little too attached to your new peeler, get a hobby.
Mahjong?
