Weekend Cooking...Newark Hot Dog

Sadly, few of you are lucky enough to have been raised in picturesque Newark, New Jersey, unlike this humble blogger. Yes, there were a few minuses, like it being the car-jacking capital of the USA. Put there were pluses like..awww...well, a lovely collection of cherry blossom trees in the US, in Branch Brook Park. "More than 2,000 cherry trees that blossom during April are greater both in variety and number than the famed Washington, D.C., display the result of a 1927 gift from Mrs. Felix Fuld and the Bamberger family."

And...awww...a really big airport! And a  beautiful French Gothic Catholic cathedral.

And the Newark Hot Dog!

What is a Newark Hot Dog you ask? Well, you take what is already not a very healthy food, the hot dog, and up the damage. I have included a chart to explain the construction.

First, you need the right bread. You need a bread that can stand up to this sandwich without falling apart.  For this sandwich, the bread they used is referred to as pizza bread. It is sort of the love child of a pita and a pizza crust. A flat round loaf, maybe 10" in diameter, that is sliced in half, and then packed with the rest of the greasy goodness.

The hot dogs, either one or two, are deep fried and when the skin is crispy, placed in the bottom of the pocket. One other point here. If you cut the loaf in half, the resulting sandwich is a "whole", containing two hot dogs. If you take a quarter of the loaf, insert one hot dog, that is a "half". Clear?

Ok, let's move on. On top of the hot dog, you add a nice little pile of sauteed peppers and onions. Then, on top of the veggies, you stuff in a nice pile of deep fried chunks of potatoes. They should have to be stuffed in there. Some places, like Jimmy Buff's , lean toward thick slices, others, like my personal favorite, Dickie Dee's, use big chunks, crispy on the outside, soft and delicious inside....hmmmm.
Then the completed sandwich is topped with mustard and ketchup.
Yes, both, unless you request otherwise.
But if you say you want "the works", that will include mustard and ketchup.

There is then the issue of beverage. Some feel the sandwich calls for a grape soda. I think the chemicals help cut the grease. Many at Jimmy Buff's seem to lean toward the Yoo Hoo. Personally, I think a birch beer is the perfect compliment if available.

Now, as well as hot dogs, you can get Italian sausage given the same "Newark" treatment.  Personally, that is my favorite, with only ketchup, although for those who have an issue with making decisions, on a recent visit to Jimmy Buff's, I notice you can also get a Combo, with both a hot dog and sausage.
Is that gilding the lily?

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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