The other day, we found ourselves at Wegmans (our little Upstate NY embassy), and I had this weird craving for hot dogs. But, I don’t eat just any hot dogs…they have to be a very specific type. When I was a kid, my dad, uncle, and I would go to Buffalo Bills home games, and we’d always park in the same space at a local church parking lot during the games. And, every Sunday, the church youth group would run a hot dog stand as a fund raiser.
After we’d parked and opened the car doors, we’d immediately be greeted to a man speaking into a microphone with an amp trying to sell the hot dogs to fans passing by. He’d always be saying, “These babies are stokin’! Why pay $5 at the stadium for a piece of boiled rubber when you can get a grilled Sahlen’s here for a buck twenty five?” Yeah…I guess it was a long time ago (egads inflation). Then we’d get our hot dogs fresh off the grill with the skin all charred, and we’d add relish, freshly diced red onions, ketchup, and mustard…and gameday lunch was served.
I give you all that backstory to explain what I mean when I say I’m very particular about the hotdogs I’ll eat. If it’s not Sahlen’s brand, it’s not worth my time. Since that time, I’ve spread the joy of Sahlen’s to my father-in-law and my grandfather-in-law, so it felt fitting to share this unifying meal today.
Anyway, back to my Wegmans trip…while at Wegmans, the Sahlen’s hotdog display called out to me, and I saw their version of mini-hot dogs, which gave me the idea to combine two Buffalo foods into one glorious Football Food. If you’re looking for some small bites to serve during your next sporting event, give these stokin’ babies a try.
Time: 35 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Mini Hot Dogs (Vienna Sausages will do). We used 12.
- 1/4 Cup Corn Meal
- 1 Teaspoon Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1-2 Tablespoons of Milk
- Buffalo Sauce
- Blue Cheese Dressing
Method:
- Combine your corn meal, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then, whip your milk and egg together in a separate container.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and stir to fully incorporate into a batter.
- Take your mini hot dogs/Vienna sausages, and skewer them each with a toothpick.
- Pour enough oil to coat the bottom of a large frying pan, and heat it. We used cast iron for this.
- Coat your mini-hot dogs with your batter. This is a bit of a tricky step, and we used a fork to sort of smear the batter on to maximize coverage.
- Arrange your corndogs in a single layer in your pan, and cook until the batter turns crispy and golden brown on the bottom. Then, rotate, and keep doing that until they are fully cooked.
- Remove your corndogs from the pan, and place into a large mixing bowl. Pour your Buffalo Sauce over them and toss to coat.
- Plate over a little lettuce, drizzle some Blue Cheese dressing atop, devour, and enjoy!
