Corn dogs are one of my top 5 favorite foods. Easily! Make it a Disneyland corn dog…even better!
There’s nothing quite like a fresh, handipped dog. Crunchy outside, fluffy inside, wrapped around a hot and juicy frank (I never actually call hot dogs “franks” but I had already said dog just the sentence before…..so we’re trying new things here)
My husband loves the hot link corn dog from California Adventure. Ever since we first had that I thought of how fun it would be to make an andouille sausage corn dog because I love me some andouille! Add a little creole seasoning to the batter for some extra flair. Oh, and a creamy creole mustard sauce to dip puts it over the top. With Mardi Gras right around the corner it makes for a perfect festive meal as a nod to Nawlins.
Notes and Tips:
Andouille sausage: Choose whatever brand you like. Just be aware that some have tougher casings than others so your corn dog might have more “snap” if you choose one with a thicker casing.
Dipping: To make dipping your corn dog easier, pour the batter into a tall drinking glass. It will
Help you dip and swirl the sausage around to coat.
Creamy Mustard Dipping Sauce: We used to get big, tall, cans of Zatarans Creole mustard at my old job and I LOVED it! We made all kinds of sauces out of it. I haven’t found it in any of regular grocery stores so my recipe for the sauce recreates it’s flavor with grainy mustard and horseradish. If you are able to get your hands on actual Creole Mustard instead of just grainy, you can skip the added horseradish.
Frying: Deep frying will get you a more uniform and “pretty” corn dog. But if you’re like me I’d rather not go through that much oil…so I fried mine in a pan. This results in corn dogs that are a little on the flatter side than round…but it eats just the same!
Andouille Corn Dog
12-16oz Andouille sausage (I had 4 links that equaled 12oz with some batter leftover)
Neutral, high smoke point oil for frying (vegetable, canola, avocado, vegetable shortening)
Skewers or popsicle sticks
Batter
1 cup Yellow cornmeal
1 cup AP flour, plus a little extra for dusting the sausages
2 tsp Creole seasoning
1/4 cup Honey
4 tsp Baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1 to 1 1/4 cup water
Creamy Creole Mustard Sauce
1/2 cup Mayo
1/4 cup Coarse stone ground mustard
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4-3/4 tsp Prepared horseradish (to your taste)
2 tsp Honey
•Mustard sauce- Stir all the ingredients together and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour to let flavors meld.
•Batter-In a bowl, whisk together the corn meal, flour, Creole seasoning, and baking powder. Add in your beaten egg, honey, and 1 cup of water to start. Mix well. If the batter is too thick, add 1/4 cup more of water until it is the consistency of thick pancake batter.
Directions
•Begin heating oil over medium heat.
• While it’s heating, dry your andouille sausage with a paper towel, and then lightly roll/dust them in flour to help the batter stick.
•Skewer your sausage.
•Pour the batter into a tall drinking glass. Dip your skewered sausage into the batter, pushing and turn it to coat it all the way to where it meets the skewer
•Test if your oil is ready for cooking by dropping a small amount of batter. You want it to begin bubbling rather quickly and floating to the top without browning to quickly.
•When your oil is hot enough, pull your dipped corn dog out of the batter, twisting to let any excess fall off.
•Slowly lower it into the oil, giving the batter time to set gradually before you lower it more until the sausage is fully submerged. This gives the batter a chance to cook just ever so lightly before lowering it all the way in to prevent sticking.
•Cook until the outside is golden brown and crispy.
NOTE: The goal here is to get the batter golden brown, not necessarily heat it all the way through. My andouille sausages were very thick so if I had cooked it in the oil until the center of the sausage was hot the outside batter would have been over cooked. I pulled mine out of the oil when they were the color I wanted and then finished them off by baking in a 325 oven until heated all the way through. If your sausages are skinnier you may not need to do this, but don’t be afraid to finish them in the oven if you need to.
Serve with your creole mustard sauce and a side of Zapp’s Voodoo potato chips to fit the theme
