Pigs in a Blanket (who dat!)

For Super Bowl Sunday this year, I decided to make pigs in a blanket, because I love hot dogs and I love puff pastry. And I put some cheddar cheese inside because I love cheese too.


We had a whole lot of food at our Super Bowl party. There were wings, red beans and rice, homemade pretzels, muffuletta sandwiches, veggies and dip, lamb sliders, Texas caviar, spinach artichoke dip, banana pudding, chocolate banana bread pudding with whiskey caramel sauce, and vegan king cake. There was probably more that I can't think of right now too, but my brain is trying to make me forget all the food I consumed. I should have taken some pictures of the food because it was amazing and I stuffed my face with it and I felt like I was going to explode several times during the night.


Anyway, so I made pigs in a blanket to add to that buttload of food. I had some leftover homemade puff pastry in my freezer from the vols-au-vents I made last fall, so I used that. I used a Martha Stewart recipe that I used last year as well, even though you don't really need much of a recipe to make these. I also sprinkled poppy seeds on top, which if you're going to do that, you should check your teeth after you eat some of these. Because I got home after the game and realized I had a poppy seed wedged in between my second and third tooth.


And even though I'm not a huge football fan, I had an awesome time at the game because most of my friends here in the city went to school down in New Orleans and are big Saints fans. And the food was awesome. Go Saints!


Pigs in a Blanket
recipe from Martha Stewart

2 lbs (about 60) mini hots dogs (I used two packs of Hebrew National cocktail wieners)
Cheddar cheese, cut into small pieces, optional
1 large egg
Flour, for working with pastry dough
1 box of puff pastry, or two sheets of homemade puff pastry (2/3 of the recipe here), thawed
poppy seeds or sesame seeds, optional

1. Slice all hot dogs about 3/4 of the way length-wise and put a small piece of cheese inside the hot dog. If you're not using the cheese, just poke the hot dogs a couple time with a fork.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll one sheet of puff pastry at a time into a 11x14 inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 7 1 1/2 strips, then cut each strip into 4 rectangles, each about 3 inches long.

3. In a small bowl, beat together the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mat (I am out of parchment so I just sprayed my sheets with some baking spray). Wrap each hot dog with a piece of the puff pastry. Using a pastry brush, brush the top with the egg wash and then sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Chill the baking sheet of hot dogs in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Sample a few yourselves and then serve to all your hungry friends.