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• At Hippo’s Hot Dogs in Clinton Township, Mich., owner Mark Platt’s menu features more than a half-dozen hot dogs with various toppings. The classic Hippo Dog is a Chicago-style Vienna beef dog with mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickle, sport peppers and seasonings. For his dog dare, Platt, 48, started with a Chicago-style dog to produce the Southwest Chicago-Style Dog topped with a salsa-pickled vegetable mixture and crunchy tortilla strips. “I wanted to create something from the Southwest because on our menu, we already have the New York-style, the Chicago-style with its traditional toppings and the Slaw Dog that originated in the South,” Platt said.
• Union Woodshop in Clarkston, Mich., takes hot dog toppings and the dog itself seriously. “We make our hot dogs from scratch, in-house, with beef chuck and pork shoulder,” said executive chef Aaron Cozadd, 29. The Smoky Dogs are served with house-made sweet and spicy relish and a drizzling of the restaurant’s South Carolina-style barbecue sauce. For his dare, Cozadd created the 3 a.m. Dog topped with fried eggs, hash browns and bacon jam.
• Carole Wendling, 28, corporate executive banquet chef for Matt Prentice Restaurant Group, loves Latin flavors and created two dogs for her dare – the Argentinian, with chimichurri, chorizo, pickled red onions and marinated queso fresco, and the Cuban, a variation on a Cuban-style panini. “I figured chimichurri goes well with grilled meats, so it would go good with a hot dog with a little bit of char on it,” Wendling said.
Southwest Chicago-Style Hot Dog
Serves: 1
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
1 steamed all-beef hot dog
1 steamed poppy seed bun
Fire-roasted onions and peppers (white onions and red and green peppers, chopped, sauteed)
Purchased spicy giardiniera (mixed pickled vegetables)
Fresh favorite salsa
Tortilla strips
Place the steamed hot dog in the steamed poppy seed bun. Top with roasted onions and peppers. Mix together the spicy giardiniera and salsa (about 2 parts salsa to 1 part giardiniera). Top the hot dog with the mixture and tortilla strips.
To make the onions and pepper mixture: Chop onions and bell peppers. Place on a hot grill or in a skillet and drizzle with oil. Saute until caramelized and tender.
Source: From Mark Platt of Hippo’s Hot Dogs, Clinton Township.
Avocado Dog
Serves: 1
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
1 all-beef hot dog
1/4 avocado, diced
2 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped small
1 tablespoon cilantro, optional
1 teaspoon lime juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 hot dog bun
1/4 cup caramelized onions
Grill or cook the hot dog as desired. In a small bowl, combine the avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper.
Place the hot dog in the bun. Top with caramelized onions and avocado mixture and serve.
Argentinian Hot Dog
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
For the chimichurri:
1/2 bunch parsley leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoons crushed garlic
1/4 cup finely diced red and yellow peppers
2 tablespoons grated carrots
For the pickled red onions:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 sliced large red onion
1/4 teaspoon grenadine
For the marinated queso fresco:
4 ounces queso fresco Mexican cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic
Zest from 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
For the dogs:
2 grilled beef hot dogs
2 hot dog buns
4 ounces chorizo sausage, cooked and crumbled
To make the chimichurri: In a food processor, place parsley leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes and crushed garlic. Pulse to combine until the mixture is similar to a loose pesto. Fold in diced red and yellow peppers and grated carrot. Set aside.
To make the pickled red onions: In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water until sugar dissolves. Place the onion in a bowl and cover with the dissolved sugar mixture. Stir in grenadine and marinate in refrigerator one day.
To make the marinated queso fresco: Combine the cheese, olive oil, garlic, zest and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
To assemble. Place grilled hot dogs in buns, top with cooked chorizo, chimichurri, pickled red onions and marinated queso fresco.
From Carole Wendling, corporate executive banquet chef, Matt Prentice Restaurant Group. 3 a.m.
Dog With Bacon Jam
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
For the bacon jam:
1-1/2 pounds of bacon, diced small
1 onion, peeled, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Michigan maple syrup
3/4 cup dark coffee
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the hot dogs:
2 smoked hot dogs or all-beef hot dogs
Hot dog buns or favorite rolls
Whole-grain mustard
1/2 cup crispy hash browns
Bacon jam
2 fried eggs
Sliced green onion for garnish
To make the bacon jam: In a medium-deep skillet, render the bacon. Continue cooking the bacon over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the bacon browns. Transfer it to a paper towel-lined tray. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Place the skillet back over the medium-high heat, and add the onion and garlic. Stir and reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook until the onion is translucent. Add the cider vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, coffee and black pepper.
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil hard for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, stir the browned bacon into the onion mixture. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, adding water if it seems to be drying out. When the onions are soft and the liquid is thick and syrupy, remove the skillet from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and pulse several times or until the bacon jam is a spreadable consistency.
Grill hot dogs, place in buns. Spoon on whole-grain mustard, 1/4 cup of the hash browns, bacon jam and top with fried egg. Garnish with green onion. Repeat with other dog.
Source: From chef Aaron Cozadd, Union Woodshop, Clarkston, Mich.
Cuban Dog
Serves: 1
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
1 beef hot dog (4 ounces)
1 telera roll or 6-inch Italian bread roll, hollowed out
1 ounce shaved smoked ham
Roasted tomato slices (see below)
4 Pickled jalapeños (see below)
2 tablespoons Chipotle Mayo (see below)
For the roasted tomatoes:
1 roma tomato, cut in 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
For the pickled jalapeños:
1/4 cup fresh jalapeños sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/4 cup fresh carrot slices
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon pickling spice
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
For the chipotle mayo:
2 tablespoons chopped chipotle chili in adobo sauce
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
Juice from half a lime
To roast the tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the tomato slices on a sided baking sheet and toss with the oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
To make the pickled jalapeños: In a saucepot, combine all ingredients and heat to a simmer. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plastic container and marinate for a day.
To make the chipotle mayo: Stir together all the ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
To assemble the hot dog: Grill or cook the hot dog as desired. Place in a hollowed-out roll. Top with shavings of smoked ham, slices of roasted tomato, pickled jalapeño and a generous dollop of chipotle mayo and serve.
Source: From Carole Wendling, corporate banquet chef, Matt Prentice Restaurant Group. Nutritional information not available.
