Wiener Wednesday: Hot Dog Round-Up Sandwiches (1983)

Hello there!

After so many weeks of weenies, it’s a surprise that I had not yet featured a dish from this cookbook, the 1983 reissue of Mettja C. Roate’s New Hot Dog Cookbook.

I’m in. I want new and exciting ways to make hot dogs!

The cover art is a bit of a let down when compared to the 1968 edition:

Look at those dogs! Stuffed, sliced, diced, topped, and wrapped into rounds.

Speaking of rounds, it’s time for some Hot Dog Round-Up Sandwiches!

Mr. Sauce, Esq. has been none too pleased by my hot dog offerings as of late. When dinner time rolls around he wants dinner, not hot dogs swimming in sauce or lil’ smokies covered in apple and yam. 

Hence, why I selected today’s recipe–each component is an acceptable ingredient to accompany a hot dog. And two of them, sauerkraut and capers, happen to be two of Mr. Sauce’s favorites. I made this in the hopes that he’d give it a thumbs up.

This isn’t a low-effort dish, to be sure. I had to bust out my double boiler to “unite all the flavors” of the filling: ketchup, capers, sauerkraut, caraway seed, and celery seed.

I also had to hollow out some little rolls, toast them, make a little compound butter, butter the toasted rolls, fancily cut some hot dogs, boil them and then put the round hot dog into the round roll.

The dogs were topped and baked once again:

These were good!  Mr. Sauce dinner!

The mustard/butter/horseradish combo was a nice touch. And I liked that the roll had a little crunch.

Now, it would be infinitely easier to just nuke the sauerkraut mix and throw it on a hot dog and bun.

However! Without all those steps, the Hot Dog Round-Up Sandwich would not be a new and exciting way to fix this old-time favorite. It would be just a way to fix this old-time favorite.

Life’s too short to settle for old and boring ways!

(Especially since the news dropped that eating a single hot dog can knock 36 minutes off your life).

Programming note:

Thursday, September 9!!!