BY BILL DALEY

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Lobster is a rich man's food, true, which may be why it tastes so extraordinarily good piled into a humble hot dog roll.

This New England specialty appears on 2 percent of menus nationwide where sandwiches are offered, according to a recent report by Nation's Restaurant News, but sales of lobster rolls "have grown steadily and appear on 52 percent more menus than just four years ago."

Most people think of these sandwiches as a cold, lobster salad in a bun, but Connecticut and Rhode Island folk, including me, also know lobster rolls can be served hot and buttery inside a toasted, butter-brushed roll.

This recipe from Brooke Dojny's "Lobster! 55 Fresh & Simple Recipes for Everyday Eating" (Storey, $14.95) calls for 2 cups of cooked lobster meat.

Buy it picked out, writes Dojny, a resident of Sedgwick, Maine, and a columnist for the Portland Press Herald. Or cook two 1-pound hard-shell lobsters and remove the meat yourself.

She recommends serving cole slaw and potato chips on the side.

Lobster rolls are traditionally served in top-split New England-style buns. If you can find them, great. If not, improvise with something to your liking such as a hot dog bun, sub roll, or even Texas Toast.

"Any soft (not hard) roll will do in a pinch, and you can butter-griddle the crust sides or the crustless sides," Dojny wrote in an email. "The main thing (is) to add some buttery, toasty flavor and texture to the finished roll."