Homemade Corn Dogs with Buttermilk-Roasted Pepper Dipping Sauce

www.jodyhorton.com

I love junk food. Handmade junk food, that is. On Saturday nights, my mom used to make us popcorn balls with Steen’s syrup or homemade potato chips, fried crisp and puffy in a big iron pot. Junk food didn’t start out bad–it’s festival food, fun, crunchy, salty, sweet, creamy. Such treats defined our culture of fun from our beginnings, simple, uncomplicated, communal. But somewhere along the way, they went horribly wrong. They became something we ate every day, filled with chemicals, preservatives, false things that belied an external face of sunshiny, innocent fun. Well, I’d like to reclaim junk food. Not every day, of course, and never the false versions. I want my children to grow up enjoying corndogs and caramel apples, hamburgers and pigs in a blanket, kettle corn and doughnuts. Junk food even has the Michael Pollan seal of approval:

Food Rule #39 Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.

There is nothing wrong with eating sweets, fried foods, pastries, even drinking soda every now and then, but food manufacturers have made eating these formerly expensive and hard-to-make treats so cheap and easy that we’re eating them every day. The french fry did not become America’s most popular vegetable until industry took over the jobs of washing, peeling, cutting, and frying the potatoes — and cleaning up the mess. If you made all the french fries you ate, you would eat them much less often, if only because they’re so much work. The same holds true for fried chicken, chips, cakes, pies, and ice cream. Enjoy these treats as often as you’re willing to prepare them — chances are good it won’t be every day.

But it won’t be never either. I hereby reclaim good junk food with patriotic pride–American fun wasn’t made in a factory.

Homemade Corndogs

4 Salt & Time Hotdogs (or highest quality dog of your choice)

1 egg, beaten

1 c. whole milk

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. yellow cornmeal

1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. sugar

salt & cayenne

wooden skewers

peanut or grapeseed oil for shallow frying

Buttermilk-Roasted Pepper Dipping Sauce

3-4 peppers (a mix of sweet & hot is good), roasted, peeled and chopped

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. buttermilk

2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped

salt & pepper

In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Whisk in the baking powder, corn meal, salt & pepper, flour and sugar. Skewer the hotdogs. then dip each one in the batter, coating well. Heat oil in a frying pan with 2-3 inch sides until a drop of batter dances and bubbles when dropped in. Quickly transfer the corndogs to the hot oil, turning to fry both sides. When crispy, drain on paper towels or a brown grocery bag. Serve immediately, with yellow mustard and Buttermilk-Pepper Dipping Sauce.

For Dipping Sauce:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

www.jodyhorton.com

8 thoughts on “Homemade Corn Dogs with Buttermilk-Roasted Pepper Dipping Sauce”

Nicole on July 16, 2010 at 2:19 pm said:

This excites me so much! We LOVE corndogs and have tried to make them once but they didn’t come out too well. We will definitely try yours.

This is perfect timing too as we just pre-ordered three packages of Dai Due’s amazing hotdogs!

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Amy on July 16, 2010 at 2:29 pm said:

Wow! I don’t even eat corndogs (though I love hot dogs), but I want to make these right now. And I’m going to adopt rule #39.

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Yvette Burtschell on July 16, 2010 at 2:52 pm said:

Hallelujah for Rule #39 and your post! We are SO making these this weekend. I’ve gotta make them gluten free, though, so I’m going to try all masa harina in place of the flour and cornmeal combo. Thanks for the great idea.

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farmhousetable on July 16, 2010 at 2:55 pm said:

Hey Yvette–I had to make them gluten free as well. I used Pamela’s baking mix in place of the flour & they were yummy. Let me know how the masa harina version comes out.

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