My husband and I had a recent weekend where we succumbed to our childhood eating habits. We had grilled cheese, goldfish crackers, Halloween candy… You name it. I started to have a conversation with my husband about one meal – hot dog boats with mashed potatoes and cheese. Much to my surprise, he never had this meal. Well – I remedied that quickly and now you can too…

Hot Dog Boats with Mashed Potatoes and Cheese

– 4 hot dogs
– 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter
– 2 cups of prepared mashed potatoes
– 4 slices of American cheese

First step, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

I feel very strongly against boiled hot dogs and therefore, recommend grilling these first. An easy way to do this indoors is to take a fry pan and add about 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter. Next, cut the hot dogs down the middle – make sure you do not cut all the way through. You are creating a little boat. Grill the hot dogs in the fry pan, skin side down, over medium heat until browned. Once browned, place the hot dogs skin down inside an oven safe pan.

Next, top the hot dogs with the prepared mashed potatoes. You can use instant or make from scratch. Here is an excellent from scratch recipe from Southern Living.

Place on side of American cheese on top of the mashed potatoes. Place pan with hot dog boats of mashed potatoes and cheese into the preheated oven. The idea is to melt the cheese and make sure everything is nice and warm before serving. Bake for about 7-10 minutes.

Now serve up a side of childhood…

Let’s be honest, we know this isn’t a good meal to eat regularly but a lovely treat on the occasion. Enjoy!