Fourth of July Hot Dog Party
Servings: the world’s your oyster! Go as big or little as you’d like, but this tends to work best when you’re feeding several people so you can buy a variety of ingredients.
Notes:
We’re back with another holiday game plan, and for this 4th of July it’s a hot dog party! But not just any hot dog party - a fancy hot dog party. While the hot dog can have a (warranted) bad reputation, they’re a beloved staple with an iconic place in Americana. And. though we love a hotdog, we don’t love all hot dogs. Be they mini or full-size, our preferred brand is Fork in the Road, which makes plump and juicy grass-fed hot dogs without any of the nasties.
The corn is a bit extra, but is another quintessentially American food, that perfectly rounds out the meal, is plentiful and in season. As a bonus, it can be prepared however you’re cooking the hot dogs - grilled, roasted, broiled - even microwaved You can buy your corn fresh from the farm stand, or find it - shucked or not - in any grocery. White is sweeter, but yellow is prettier and we’ve found kids prefer it. Serve with room temp or melted butter and some good flakey salt.
As with many of the spreads we’ve shared recently, this is choose-your-own-adventure situation. As with the sammie platter, salmon spread, and grazing board, etc., you can - and should make this meal your own. But, since you have to start somewhere, our essential shopping list is below.
Essential Components:
Hot dogs: the star of the show! Opt for something quality here since hot dogs are already economical (ground meat and sausage are great ways to feed a family or a crowd on a budget), and even the most expensive hot dog is less per pound than most cuts of steak. Per above, we like Fork in the Road.
Buns: our niece recently chastised us for buying brioche buns, and we chafed at first, but she was right -t hey fall apart too easily under the weight of condiments. Opt for a potato, whole wheat or butter bun.
Microgreens: shredduce could also worl.
Diced tomato or quartered cherry tomatoes: This is one place cherry tomatoes work beautifully.
Relish: any variety of relish will do, though we prefer dill over the sweet. And, Grillo’s makes a Pickles de Gallo that’s not to be missed.
Other pickled things: dill spears, cornichon, carrots, peppers, kimchi, kraut, whatever - they all do a great job of cutting through the richness of the hot dog.
Chives: either freshly chopped or those freeze dried ones from the spice section.
Non negotiable condiments: mustard and ketchup.
Optional:
Melted cheese: We’re don’t love cheese on our dog, but some people do.
Chili: see above.
Baked beans: You know we love a bean and baked beans are no exception.
EBS, or another type of crunchy seasoning - say a togarashi.
Cream cheese: controversial, but good.
Sliced olives: for garnish and snacking.
Sriracha or another hot sauce.
Accompaniments
Watermelon would be absolutely perfect with this dish.
Chips: some crunch would be a nice addition here.
Mayo-based salads: the easiest and most impressive thing in the world to do is to gussy up store-bought salads. To do this, buy some plain potato salad, and add any of the following: chopped dill, chives, shallot, celery, green beans, hard-boiled egg, grainy mustard, acv, etc. - and you’ve gone from a sad salad to a snappy salad.
Green Salads: Pair some fresh crisp greens with some sliced peaches, a little sliced cucumber, some chopped shallots, red onion or chives, and pretty much any dressing.
Crudite: again, nice to have something fresh to cut through the richness of the hotdogs. Bonus points: can be bought prepped and is a good pot luck assignment.
Steps
Cook the hot dogs, sausage, and corn according to your liking - we placed our hot dogs, sausages and corn on a foil lined and lightly sprayed sheet pan, then roasted in a pre-heated 425 F oven for about 8 minutes.
When your ingredients are done, artfully (or not) arrange on a platter with chosen accompaniments.
Serve - letting everyone choose and arrange their own plate.