12 Hot Dogs that are Anything but Ordinary

Hot dogs are great steamed, grilled, pan-fried ... and in a pinch you can heat them in the microwave. You can cook them creatively. You can omit the bun. You can top them with all kinds of crazy things.

In a roundup for Parade Magazine's online Community Table, I chose a dozen amazing hot dog recipes, including one crazy dessert dog.

Here's a sample of the dozen dogs with links to the blogs. Go ahead and visit them, and say "hi." For the rest of them, check Community Table and take a look at the bottom of this post for more of my roundups.

Spiralized Spud Dogs

The perfect companion to a hot dog is fries, but this takes the idea to a whole ‘nother level, with spiral-cut potatoes wrapped around the hot dogs before they’re cooked until brown and toasty. Find it at Busy in Brooklyn.

Zucchini Marinara Hot Dogs

There’s no actual dog in these dogs, so they’re perfect for meatless meals. The zucchini offers texture, while the sauce and cheese provide substantial flavor. Find it at Noble Pig.

Beer Brat Dogs with Peach Salsa

The close cousin of the hot dog, the bratwurst, plays the starring role, accented with a spicy peach salsa. Make extra salsa to serve with chips. Find it at The Beeroness.

Crispy Crack Hot Dogs

These dogs look impressive, but they’re simple to make, and totally fun for kids and adults. Find it at Kitchen Tested.

BLT Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs

If a hot dog and a BLT sandwich had offspring, they’d look a lot like these bacon-wrapped hot dogs. The avocado takes it over the top. Find it at Dinners, Dishes and Desserts.

Philly Cheesesteak Hot Dogs

The Philly Cheesesteak is a classic on its own. Combine it with a hot dog for something that’s more than the sum of its parts. Find it at Country Cleaver.

And find the whole roundup HERE.

Want to see more of my roundups for Parade?

Do you love potato salad? Me too. So I compiled some of the most unusual I could find.
17 Potato Salads that Walk on the Weird Side in a Good Way

Here's the hot dog post. They're AWESOME!
Some Bark, Some Bite: 12 Hot Dogs that are Anything But Ordinary

Cocktails and mocktails that are perfect for a hot summer day, or a cheery summer night.
Summer is a Thirsty Season: These 15 Cocktails will Fix That

Strawberries might be the most popular, but other berries want your attention, too.
22 Berry Wonderful Ways to Use Berries that Aren't Strawberries

If you love corn (and corny jokes) you'll love this roundup!
This Isn't a Corny Joke: 15 Recipes for Corn that are Out. Standing. In their Field (groan)

Inspired by Haute Dogs

I recently published a recipe from the book Haute Dogs, but I had to pass along this little tidbit.

When I was a kid, sometimes my mom would sometimes spiral cut hot dogs, or more often she's cut diagonal slits in the dogs. Then she'd melt some cheese onto the dogs. I thought it was pretty darned fancy.

I've seen gadgets made specifically for spiral-cutting hot dogs, but I've always thought they were a little silly. I don't have a real need for a spiral cut dog. And I figured that if I wanted one, I could muddle through well enough with a knife.

But then I saw this in the book, Haute Dogs, and it made so much sense. So simple. Just put the hot dog on a skewer, and use the skewer as a guide for the knife. Then gently stretch the hot dog along the skewer before grilling it.

After it's cooked, the dog keeps its shape even after it's off the skewer. Ta daaaaa!

Summer's coming! Have some ... Haute Dogs! The El Completo Dog

Does anyone really need a whole book about hot dogs?

Well, maybe not. But then again, no one needs a shelf full of baking books, and I have that, too.

So, now I have Haute Dogs by Russell van Kraayenburg.

This isn't just a book about different toppings - although that's part of it - but it's also about different ways to cook hot dogs, different types of dogs and buns, and different regional and national styles of hot dogs.

The recipes aren't all about how to assemble the hot dog, either. There are recipes for making buns, condiments, and even hot dogs.

It's all there.

I picked El Completo from chile, partially because I had the ingredients on hand. And partially because they sounded so ... odd.

Avocado and sauerkraut? Have you ever even thought about that combination?

But even though it sounded weird, it tasted really good. I'm looking forward to making some condiments next, and I have a few other dogs bookmarked, for later.

I'll admit that no one really needs this book, but it's a fun, and it might inspire you to change up your hot dog routine. I could see having a hot dog tasting evening. trying different types of hot dogs with different toppings.

So now we have ...

El Completo
Adapted from Haute Dogs by Russell van Kraayenburg

Classic hot dog bun, toasted
Beef and pork hot dog. panfried
Sauerkraut
Mashed avocado
Chopped tomato
Mayonnaise

You know what to do. Put the dog on the bun, pile on the toppings, and serve.

I ended up adding a bit more of the avocado and sauerkraut after the first assembly, but of course, you can add the toppings to suit your own taste.

Okay, I'll admit it. The bun in that photo isn't toasted, as the recipe says. I was in a bit of a hurry to assemble the beast before I lost the light for photos.

And ... *sigh* ... I was hungry.

Go ahead and toast your buns. I think it's a good idea for this particular dog.

I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write about it.