Homemade hot dogs

Homemade hot dogs

30 min
There is a wealth of homemade hot dog recipes to choose from around the world. Though they all feature hot dog buns and sausages, that is usually where the similarities end as this popular dish can be dressed in any kind of topping you can think of. In this recipe, we have made a spin on a classic hot dog with fried onions, ketchup, mustard, and gherkins by adding chives and cottage cheese into the mix for freshness.
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Instructions

Fried onions:
  • Cut onion into paper-thin slices on a mandolin (a very sharp grater that can cut ingredients into truly thin slices).
  • Rinse the onion slices in cold water and let them drip off in a sieve.
  • Coat the damp onions with flour.
  • Pour oil into a small saucepan and warm it up at medium heat for about 8 minutes. The oil needs to be 140-160°C – you may want to use a cooking thermometer to check the temperature.
  • Transfer ¾ dl of onion into the saucepan at a time and fry them for 2-3 minutes until they are slightly golden.
  • Use a skimmer to remove the fried onions from the oil and let them drip off on some absorbent paper.
  • Sprinkle the crispy onions with salt.
Hot dogs:
  • Preheat oven to 200°C (regular oven).
  • Mix cottage cheese and chives.
  • Fry the sausages on a grill pan at medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side until they are warm and golden.
  • Toast the hot dog buns on a griddle in the middle of the oven for about 4 minutes.
  • Assemble the hot dogs. Start by popping the sausages into the buns, then top with cottage cheese and the remaining ingredients, and finish with the fried onions.
Enjoy!
Tips

The best tips for making deliciously crispy hot dog onions are to ensure that the frying oil is hot enough and to keep its temperature steady.

Tips

If you do not have a cooking thermometer at your disposal to check if the oil's temperature has reached 140-160°C, you can use a wooden stick. Place the end of the stick into the oil to gauge the reaction. If small bubbles appear around the tip, the oil is ready for you to make your perfect fried onions for hot dogs. If no bubbles appear, you will want to wait a bit longer.

Tips

It is very important to only fry small batches of onion at a time. If you transfer too many of the sliced onions to the oil, its temperature will go down. If this happens, you might end up with pieces of homemade fried onion that are somewhat soggy and oily rather than deliciously crispy.

Questions about hot dogs

With our enticing hot dog recipe, making a quick and delicious dinner with plenty of different flavours and textures can be achieved in almost no time. To learn more about hot dogs, continue reading our answers to the most frequently asked questions about the dish below.

What is a hot dog made of?
A hot dog is made up of a toasted hot dog bun which has been cut open and stuffed with a cooked sausage that is topped with a selection of different toppings like fried onions, mustard, ketchup, and gherkins. It certainly does not contain dogs! While there may be no definitive answer to why it is called a hot dog, many suggest that the sausages sold by German immigrant butchers in the US were called 'dachshund sausages' due to their long and thin appearance which reminded them of the dog breed. This name is thought to have been bastardised into 'hot dog' over time.
How to make a hot dog?
Making homemade hot dogs is both quick and easy. Start by making the fried onions as this is the most time-consuming step. Then, mix cottage cheese with chives, and get started on grilling the sausages on a pan. Once the sausages are warm and golden and the hot dog buns are toasted in the oven, pop the sausages into the buns and assemble the hot dogs with ketchup, mustard, cottage cheese, gherkins, and fried onions. Now that you know how a hot dog is made, nothing is stopping you from taking our recipe for a spin!
How long does a hot dog last in the fridge?
Storing assembled hot dogs in the fridge is not a good idea as the more liquid toppings will make the bread and crispy onions go soft. As such, you should store the different components separately in airtight containers or bags. Store the buns in a bag in your pantry to prevent them from drying out. Sausages are good for 3-4 days in the fridge once they are cooked. The same goes for the homemade fried onions. To reheat the buns, pop them in the oven for a few minutes while you heat the sausages in the microwave.
How to make fried onions for hot dogs?
Making your own homemade crispy fried onions for hot dogs is quite easy. Start by using a mandolin to cut an onion into very thin slices. Rinse them and coat them with flour after they have dripped off. Heat the frying oil in a small saucepan at medium heat. It needs to reach 140-160°C so you may want to use your cooking thermometer. Once the oil is hot enough, transfer some of the sliced onion to the oil and fry the pieces until they are slightly golden. Sprinkle the fried onions with salt and enjoy your crispy hot dog topping.
Can you freeze hot dogs?
Though you cannot freeze these homemade hot dogs, you can freeze hot dog buns and sausages. You can freeze both cooked and uncooked hot dog sausages for up to 3 months. Cooled, cooked sausages should be wrapped in cling film before being placed into freezer bags to retain their moisture. Uncooked ones do not need to be wrapped but in both instances, removing as much air from the bags as you can is recommended. The same goes for the buns which should also be wrapped in cling film. In the freezer, they will keep for 2-3 months.

Ingredients

Fried onions:
Yellow onion
1
Wheat flour
1 dl
Frying oil
½ l
Fine salt
½ tsp
Hot dogs:
Cottage cheese, 4%
250 g
Chives, finely cut
1 tbsp
Frankfurters
4
Wholemeal hot dog buns
4
Tomato ketchup
2 tbsp
Mustard
2 tbsp
Gherkins, coarsely chopped
50 g
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Hot dogs with homemade fried onions

The best hot dog recipe is one that allows you to make enticing hot dogs with plenty of different tastes and textures. Fortunately, this is one such recipe!

By pairing the soft buns and tender sausages with crispy fried onions, creamy cottage cheese with fresh chives, and crunchy pieces of gherkin, we have created some irresistible flavour-packed hot dogs. With every bite, you get a delicious combination of these different textures and, of course, the snap of the sausage. The result is a wonderful twist on a classic hot dog with all the trimmings.

Delicious hot dog toppings

Though our hot dog recipe features different types of unusual and homemade hot dog toppings like fried onions and cottage cheese dressing, easy hot dog toppings in the form of staple condiments like mustard and ketchup are, of course, also a must-have.

The creamy, bittersweet combination of ketchup and mustard works well with the crispy onions. To add a lovely freshness, we have also chosen to serve the hot dogs with cottage cheese and chives. The tangy and tasty cottage cheese mixed with chives takes them from snack to proper meal.

Combine sweet, sour, and salty in a quick dinner

Though it is a simple dish, homemade hot dogs encompass all five basic tastes, sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. As such, the most popular hot dog toppings are ones that allow you to combine a harmonious meal.

In our recipe, the toasted hot dog buns and ketchup bring sweetness, while the latter also has a bit of tang. The main source of sourness, though, is the gherkins. They are not just sour but have a complex flavour profile with sweet and salty notes. So too does the cottage cheese and, of course, the fried onions. The mustard brings some needed bitterness and the best hot dog sausages are packed with umami flavour, bringing it all together.

Make it your own

The beauty of hot dogs is that they may be varied in a myriad of ways. There truly is no limit to what people have experimented with and, as such, what you can try out in your quest to find the best hot dog topping.

If you enjoy sour and salty flavours the most, we suggest getting out your mustard and making a batch of sauerkraut to top your hot dogs with. Sweet honey mustard will be great at balancing the pungent sauerkraut.

If heat is more your thing, seek out a variety of spicy hot dog sausage and top it with some leftover chilli con carne and a bit of coleslaw for crunch. This so-called chilli dog is quite popular with everyone who loves something spicy with fresh coleslaw on top.

Other easy hot dog topping ideas include combining different condiments like a sweet homemade hot dog relish with caramelised red onions and flavour-packed mango chutney.

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