If gettin' all fancy-schmancy with your Super Bowl
party foods will get you kicked off the Super Bowl party guest list for years to come, keep it traditional (and
easy) with what I call "Walk the Dog." You cook the dogs, and your guests "walk their dogs" along
an impressive bar of toppings that goes far beyond ketchup, mustard, and relish. The toppings I like to include on a
Walk the Dog Bar, with some tips, are:
-
Chili - made of just ground meat and gravy. No beans. Trust me. Rather, trust Sarah Gilbert.
-
Cheese - shredded cheese is usual, but I have found that keeping the cheese as slices reduces the chance of cheese being ground into your carpet. While American and Cheddar are the standard, you can also offer provolone or mozzarella to go with an Italian-themed dog.
- Vegetables - chopped onions are usual, but you can go one step further and saute them a la In-n-Out's Animal Style. Like cheese, tomatoes are much cleaner if you keep them in thin slices. I also like to include grilled peppers, olives, and hot peppers (usually, jalapenos). Shredded lettuce is good, but stay with Iceberg. This is a hot dog we're talking about here.
- Guacamole - No words necessary. It's guacamole, for God's sake.
- Relish - You'll probably get some angry looks if you forget the relish. You can take it on step further with thin pickle spears.
- Mustard - Try offering more than just ballpark yellow mustard. Hot mustard, Dijon, and sweet mustard are good options. Try to find these in squeeze bottles.
- Ketchup - Eh, you have to include this, if for nothing else, to go with the fries you've been serving.
- Marinara sauce - This is for one the "theme" dogs - Italian.
- Salsa - In case you haven't heard, salsa has replaced ketchup as the favorite condiment in America.
There are a few additional tips and suggestions to really take your dog for a walk:
- Print out for your guests some suggested dog "ideas" for using the condiments: Italian Dog with marinara and mozzarella cheese; Nacho Dog with salsa, guacamole, cheese, olives and jalapenos, and Chicago-style Dog with mustard, chopped onion, relish, tomatoes, pickle spears on either side. Of course, you'd have to provide sport peppers and celery salt.
- Offer more than just the standard ballpark dog. Try bratwurst, hot links or if you're a Steelers fan, Polish sausage.
- Nothing will have your guests howling at the moon faster than a bacon-wrapped dog. Simply wrap a slice (or two) of bacon around the dog in a spiral, and grill from there. (Obviously, it doesn't work quite as well for boiling).
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