Healthy ‘Hot Dog’
When I asked for requests for recipes to include in this class, I used ‘healthy hot dog’ as an example. So of course, I had a couple of people take me up on the challenge. And here it is!
Although the picture only has one ‘dog’ on the plate, I think most people would need 2 given that they aren’t super filling.
enough for: 2
takes: 25 minutes
4 thick pork sausages
1 can tomatoes (400g / 14oz)
4 tablespoons butter
1 baby cos (little gem) lettuce
1. Place a medium frying pan on a high heat and add a little oil. Add the sausages and when they start to sizzle, turn the heat down to medium low.
2. Cook sausages, turning every few minutes for about 20 minutes or until well browned and cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, place tomatoes and their juices in a small saucepan along with the butter. Cook on a high heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes or until thickened into a sauce.
4. Serve sausages wrapped in leaves with sauce on top.
Prepare Ahead?
You could poach the sausages for 20 minutes in gently simmering water then refrigerate until you’re ready to serve and reheat in a pan on a medium high heat. The sauce can be made ahead of time too.
Leftover Potential
The sausages and sauce will keep for a week or so in the fridge but the lettuce won’t last that long.
Variations
hard-core dog – feel free to use regular ‘dogs’ instead of the sausages. Best to heat them in gently simmering water for about 15 minutes or until hot.
dairy-free – replace the butter in the sauce with a few generous drizzles of good olive oil.
vegetarian – cook sliced eggplant in the pan instead of the sausages or use your favourite ‘veggie’ sausage.
vegan – try a hot eggplant dog. Cut an medium eggplant into quarters lengthwise and cook on a medium heat, being more generous with the oil and covering the pan with a lid. And replace the butter in the sauce with olive oil – be generous.
hot! – add in a few ginely chopped red chillies OR some dried chilli powder 1/2 – 1 teaspoon should do it to the sauce.
can’t be bothered making sauce? – replace it with your favourite ketchup instead.
carb lovers / more substantial – serve on hot dog buns.
mustard – if you like mustard with your dog… feel free to use it.
paleo (grain, legume & dairy-free) – use coconut oil or olive oil instead of butter.
more veg – serve with grilled veg like eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers (capsicum).
Waste Avoidance Strategy
pork sausages – freeze them.
can tomatoes – keep them in the pantry.
butter – keeps in the fridge for months.
baby cos –are highly perishable. My first path would be to use them for another meal (salad for breakfast!).
Problem Solving Guide
too bland? – give the sauce a little more seasoning. And next time look at using sausages or ‘dogs’ from a different supplier.
too salty – your butter and tomatoes both provide quite a bit of salt. If it’s too intense, dilute with some unsalted butter OR a few glugs of olive oil.
short on time – for a super fast version use a commercial ketchup or tomato sauce instead of making your own and cook the sausages on a high heat, turning them often.
sauce too sharp – sounds like not enough butter. A pinch of sugar or two may help the situation as well.
Serving Suggestions
For me this is best with cold, crips lettuce and hot sausages slathered in sauce, but you could serve it all cold as well.
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Really good 🙂
Glad you liked it Kelly!
This was good made with brats. The sauce, though simple, was surprisingly tasty. I was confused, though, about how to eat them. I tried picking up the brat/lettuce rolls to eat like a brat in a bun, but the lettuce was no match for the sauce, so it started getting pretty messy. I gave up and just used a knife and fork. Maybe that’s what I should have done all along.