Hot Dog Amoebas

These were supposed to be Hot Dog Rolls from Jo Cooks. 

Don't you think they look more like Amoebas?

I do.

They may look like freakish mutant alien explosions, but they were tasty.  I liked that more of the hot dog got exposed than they would with the traditional pigs in a blanket.

Crispy caramelized hot dog = goodness in the belly.

The addition of green onion was a nice change.  It gave the meal a little zing. 

I liked how the shredded cheese piled on the top turned out as well.  When you stick the cheese in the middle of the hot dog wrapped in a crescent roll, the cheese always oozes out the side and makes a huge mess.  This cheese melts evenly and browns nicely without getting burnt.

While I liked the flavor of the dish, man was it ever a lot of work.  The dough just did NOT want to cooperate with me.  And that made me really crabby.  To the point that I just might have almost cried angry tears of frustration.  Maybe.  But that could have been due to crazy allergies and lack of sleep more than not being able to get the dough to cooperate.

I really wanted this recipe to work out brilliantly because it tasted so good.  I think it was just too much fuss for this underslept lady.


Hot Dog Rolls/Flowers/Amoebas/Space Aliens from Jo Cooks
Dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp yeast
1 egg
2/3 cup water

6 large hot dogs
2 green onions
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (I omitted this because I killed all four of my parsley plants by not watering them twice a day and fanning them and feeding them peeled grapes.  Hopefully they will come back next year.)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 egg, for egg wash

In a small bowl mix water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for 10 min until it starts bubbling. In another larger bowl, mix flour with salt.  In a small bowl melt butter, add egg and whisk well.  Add wet to flour, including yeast mix.  Stir. You can use mixer here, but I just kneaded the dough by hand. Add more flour as needed.  Place dough in an oiled bowl. Cover bowl with a clean towel and let it rest until it doubles in size. (About an hour.)  Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cut dough into 6 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Roll out each piece into a small rectangle and place a hot dog in the middle of the dough, then just wrap the dough around the hot dog, covering well.

Cut each covered hot dog, into 1/2" pieces, cut hot dog all the way through, but stop as you reach  dough. Take each piece and roll it out and splay it into a flower-like or amoeba shape. Repeat with remaining hot dogs. Place rolls on a baking lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Brush with egg wash and top with cheddar cheese, parsley and green onions.  Bake  20 min til golden brown.