Here’s some urban myth for ya…greasy food is good for a hangover.
Basic Google research indicates that this is not the case.
Now, I grant you, greasy food does slow down the absorption of alcohol through the stomach lining. But by the time you have a hangover, the alcohol is already in your system.
Capish?
So the time to eat stuff like a big greasy cheeseburger is before you head out the door for a night of revelry.
Further Googling reveals that eggs are good for a hangover. They’ve got lots and lots of cysteine, which will be converted to antioxidants.
Eggs…breakfast…we’re in business!
But we’re going to use a force multiplier with the eggs, namely heat.
Here’s how it will work; the eggs will be creating all those good antioxidants while the pain from the jalapenos, chili and hot sauce will take your mind off how rotten you feel.
A word about the hot dog component for your omelet…There are two categories of doggies:
1…Hebrew National Beef Franks
2…Every other hot dog out there…
Let’s defer to the experts, shall we? Here’s a link to a New York Times tasting…the Hebrew Nationals pretty much tied for first with Wellmans, which is sold only at Whole Foods. (Hebrew National you can get anywhere) The Wellmans’ only edged into first place because they are a larger dog.
See my point?
Hebrew National.
There’s another brand out there, Hofmanns, from upstate New York, and they…are…excellent. But the Hofmanns franks are very light colored and fine grained, they’re more like a brat. They make an outstanding burnt wienie sandwich.
We’ll find a use for them down the road, you can bet on it…
…but for this application we need that garlicky, dense New York City hot dog flavor.
So here’s the plan…
Hot dog sliced into rounds sautéed in butter (or better yet, clarified butter). Eggs with diced jalapenos whisked in for the omelet part. Fine-shredded sharp cheddar melted while the eggs are still in the pan. Uncle Max’ three day chili extra picante for filling. Mrs. Renfro’s ghost pepper salsa for plentiful garnish.
Please bear in mind you can always tone down the heat index of the hot components…it’s up to you!
Also, if you like, jump to recipe card.
Sooooo…let the games begin!
EQUIPMENT
8″ sautee pan
lid for the sautee pan
fork for whisking
wooden or teflon stick
knife for dicing and slicing
ladle
INGREDIENTS
2 eggs room temperature
1 doggie
tablespoon butter
6-8 slices pickled jalapenos, diced (raw is better, but use half the amount)
generous grab of fine-shredded sharp cheddar
generous ladle chili picante
2-3 tablespoons Mrs Renfro’s habanero hot sauce for garnish (Her Ghost pepper sauce if you’ve got no pressing engagements today)
ALRIGHT…
Slice the hot dog into rounds like 3/8″ thick, and sauté them over medium heat. (sauté…since when did auto correct start offering the accent aigu? …this is momentous!) Do them gently, you don’t want to burn them and cause the eggs to stick to the pan, and, let’s face it, they’re already cooked.
Browned here and there is what we’re aiming for.
Also make sure the chili is heated up.
A WORD ABOUT THE EGGS
We want the eggs (only two!) to cook quickly and evenly, so they can’t be cold when they hit the pan.
The eggs should be at room temperature. If you’re in a time crunch put them in a bowl under a hot faucet for a bit.
Also we don’t want to add water while we’re fork-whisking the eggs, and especially not milk…milk will separate into solids and water and you’ll have a bunch of extra wet that you don’t need.
FORK WHISK…
…the diced jalapenos into the eggs. No salt, but grind pepper in there if you like.
DUMP…
…the egg mixture into the pan right over the hot dogs. You can try to space the hot dog slices evenly around the pan before doing this but does it really matter?
Nah.
HERE’S WHERE WE GET FANCY
Let’s give the eggs a sec to get settled…you’ll see the edge of the eggs start to firm up.
With the wooden stick or teflon stick, push the outer cooked edge of the eggs in toward the center. We’ll tilt and swirl the pan to let some of the uncooked egg run into the space created.
We’re going to work around the pan, creating these spaces at the edge and letting egg run in to fill, until we’re out of runny egg.
The top will still be wet so put the pan back on the heat and put the lid on and give it 30 seconds or so. If you don’t have a lid for the saucepan use an inverted metal pie thingie to cover the pan (remember the one we saved from the Pecan Pie Cheesecake recipe?).
Let’s distribute the cheddar evenly on top of the eggs and put the pan back on the heat, and put the lid on.
We should be as quick as possible here…the idea is to melt the cheese but you don’t have to do it completely because the hot chili will take it the rest of the way. We’re using fine-shredded cheddar so it will melt quickly and evenly.
Plus at this point we run the risk of overcooking the omelet, burning and/or rubberizing the eggs. Work steadily and with purpose.
WE GET FANCY AGAIN
Put the plate in front of you, put the chili to one side. bring the pan to the plate and get the omelet halfway into the plate. Put dollop of chili on the half of the omelet that’s resting in the plate.
If you’re a whiz you can now, using the pan, flip the rest of the omelet over the top of the chili.
Wow that looks good…if this sort of juggling is beyond your early morning capabilities then lay the omelet in the plate, dump the chili on half of it, and bring the top over with your fingers.
TIME TO GARNISH THE HANGOVER HOTDOG OMELET
….and…
Use your better judgement for this…if you’re actually doing Mrs Renfros Ghost pepper sauce you may want to err on the side of caution, one tablespoon. For her habanero salsa….fire away.
For your enjoyment…a chili cheese hot dog omelet!
Please bear in mind this omelet is dedicated to the true fire eater, someone who wants to take strong steps to ease the pain.
You can easily tone down the heat and you’ll still have a wonderful omelet…totally skip the jalapenos, use mild cheddar, mild canned chili, and some Publix store brand mild salsa…
The flavors, hot or mild, will always work together, because basically you have a chili dog wrapped up in an omelet.
Wow!
Enjoy with hot Cowboy Coffee, orange juice, or a generous glass of V8 with ground fresh pepper, a dash of Tabasco, and a wedge of lemon squeezed in there.
Pull up in front of a screen and watch the heart stopping car race toward the beginning of Against All Odds. How come that dog doesn’t fly out of the passenger seat?
Enjoy!
LINKS:
What to Eat with What You Drink
New York Times Hot Dog Contest
