A Stuffed Hot Dog Is A Happy Hot Dog
As is frequently the case, I was inspired over the weekend by observing a crowd of hungry young men devour an enormous platter of hot dogs. Well, not frequently-frequently, but often enough that I definitely get how much people love hot dogs. I had three myself. And, in the silence that only guys concentrating on food can produce, I decided I had to stuff a bunch of hot dogs. Here are my thoughts and findings:
Shredded cheese works best in the lengthwise-slit technique, as it's easier to pack more in and it melts more evenly than chunks. Some cheeses, like blue and Gruyère, demand to be broiled. Others, like American, cheddar and Swiss, can be grilled or pan-fried, just be careful to arrange them in a way that they won't roll over. I'll get right on inventing something for that.
- The Classic All-American Dog: stuffed with American cheese, topped with ketchup, mustard, relish, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and red onions
- The Currybest: stuffed with smoked gouda, broiled and topped with ketchup and a couple of dashes of curry powder.
- The Stuffed Dodger: stuffed with cheddar THEN wrapped in bacon, griddled and topped with pickled jalapeños.
- The Hot Dog On Crack: stuffed with mild cheddar, topped with macaroni and cheese, broiled and hit with Frank's Red Hot sauce.
- The Classy Joint: stuffed with Gruyère and topped with diced cornichons, caramelized onions and whole-grain mustard. Reminiscent of the brighter days of fatty ground meat(s).
- The "Eat, Bubala, Eat:" stuffed with Swiss and topped with pastrami, deli mustard and cole slaw, served with a pickle.
- The Buffalo Dog: stuffed with blue cheese, broiled and topped with Buffalo sauce, chopped celery and red onions.
With apologies to the traditional arrangement of hot dog, bun and mustard and/or ketchup, I believe I've made my case. Now if you know of a good patent lawyer, I have a stuffed hot dog anti-rolling-over device to produce too many of.
More sausage for lunch on Food Republic: