There's An Easier Way To Make Pigs In A Blanket

Pigs in a blanket, that delectable appetizer that practically gives Oscar Mayer hot dogs a reason to exist, just got better. Many of us grew up with the traditional version of the recipe, which typically consists of small cocktail franks that have been painstakingly snuggled into a single pastry wrapper. They're cute and tasty but also tedious to make. If you're planning on making 10 of them, you need to wrap each one in dough individually and then bake. (Of course, the process becomes more laborious the more pigs in a blanket you need.) 

To streamline the process, pigs in a blanket enthusiasts should take a hint from the earliest version of the dish, which appears in 1957's "Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys and Girls" and calls for full-size franks instead of cocktail weenies. However, the idea here is to wrap each dog from end to end in puff pastry dough — rolling them the way you might make homemade sushi by wrapping seaweed around rice and fish — and then cut them into individual portions for baking. Each cut-up hot dog will yield a handful of dough-wrapped, appetizer-sized pieces, saving you time and effort (which everyone could use more of when entertaining).

Given how delicious these handheld bites of decadence are, you may not feel like you need to add anything to them to make them even better, but you should for the love of all things good! For example, andouille, bratwurst, or even vegan sausages could stand in for the plain hot dog. This hack counts among the simplest yet most effective ways to teach an old dog some new tricks. Of course, since bacon tastes good with everything, you can also add a strip or two to the roll before you wrap that puppy up. Cheese or cheese with bacon work here, too.

When serving this style of pigs in a blanket, you can mix things up a bit. Try cutting them in thinner, button-like slices and piercing them with a skewer to make shish kabobs. Or if it's a bigger bite you're after, forego the button-sized slices and cut the pieces so they're double or triple the size.

And finally, don't settle for plain old ketchup as a dipping sauce. Try ranch or Thousand Island dressing or even barbecue sauce to add some flavorful flair. You can also serve these little piggies with extras, like pickle relish, sauerkraut, spinach dip, plus salsa and chili con queso to add a rich and memorable spiciness to the tried-and-true favorite snack. Finally, if it's breakfast time, substitute your morning sausage for the franks, wrap in biscuit dough, and serve with a side of white gravy.