This hot dog banh mi will help you think bigger when using leftovers

“I feel about leftovers as I do about empty restaurants and unkempt gardens. I love them because they are unloved,” writes Tamar Adler in her book, “The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z.” Adler is not the type of cook to look at the stale heel of a loaf of bread or dregs of a pot of beans and think, I shouldn’t let that go to waste – she’s the type to reinvent languishing leftovers into entirely new meals with equal parts utility and verve. Her new book is an encyclopedia of this skill, organized alphabetically by leftover ingredient.

There are recipes for onion peels and muffin batter, edamame and broken aioli, meatloaf and mulled wine. The recipe that caught my eye, the one I want to make on repeat, from leftovers or not, was in the hot dog section. To use up leftover hot dogs, among other ideas, Adler suggests creating a hot dog banh mi. It’s a recipe she adapted from Munchies: Food by VICE, but which reminded me of the banh mi hot dog that’s on the menu at D.C.’s Haute Dogs & Fries. I’ve adapted it a little further, as you’ll see below.

You’ll start by making Vietnamese sandwich pickles, a mix of daikon radish and carrot, cut into matchsticks and brined in vinegar, sugar and salt. They need at least 30 minutes to soften in the brine and pick up the sweet-tangy flavors that will make them pop once piled on the hot dog.

Next, toast a couple of hot dog buns in a pan. Adler doesn’t specify this, but I like to split the leftover hot dogs lengthwise down their middles, to expose the interior, and then set them in the same pan to brown. When you’re ready to assemble the banh mi, sprinkle some Maggi seasoning on the inside of the toasted hot dog buns. Add a thick slick of mayonnaise, the caramelized hot dog, some of the sandwich pickles, slices of cucumber and jalapeño and a few sprigs of cilantro. For so few ingredients, the reward here is high. It’s also a lesson in thinking big when you’re confronted with leftovers.

In many ways, this type of cooking is the most advanced, because it requires an understanding of the original ingredient or dish, and the ways it will react when cooked or manipulated further. But it’s also important not to overthink this process. “All cooking really requires is perception, practice and patience,” Adler counsels. “Most other inputs are distractions.”

As with all cooking, when considering leftovers, lean on your senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. They will take you far. And don’t forget that some of the best dishes in our earthly canon rely on things like stale bread, day-old rice and other potential discards. They are, as Adler says, “the products of the ancient happy marriage of economy and pleasure.”

Hot Dog Banh Mi

Make ahead: The pickles must be made 30 minutes in advance, and can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Where to buy: Maggi seasoning can be found at Asian markets, supermarkets or online.

For the pickles

1/4 cup matchstick-cut daikon radish

1/4 cup matchstick-cut carrot

3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

For the hot dog

2 teaspoons neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed

2 banh mi rolls, hot dog buns or sandwich rolls, split

2 hot dogs, slit lengthwise

2 teaspoons Maggi seasoning, plus more as needed

1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 small Persian cucumber, thinly sliced on the bias

1/2 jalapeño, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaf

In a small bowl, stir together the daikon, carrot, vinegar, sugar and salt until combined. Set aside until the vegetables soften slightly and are lightly pickled, about 30 minutes.

In a small skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the sandwich rolls, split-side down, and cook until golden brown and toasted, about 3 minutes, then transfer to plates. Add the hot dogs, split-side down, and cook until burnished, about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the Maggi seasoning and spread half of the mayonnaise onto each roll, then top each with a hot dog. Evenly divide the pickles, cucumber, jalapeño and cilantro between the buns. Serve, with more Maggi seasoning to sprinkle on top, if desired.

Serves 2.