Hot Dogs, Potatoes & Baked Beans

My mom used to make hot dogs, hash brown patties and baked beans as a meal for us growing up, and it is a go-to comfort food for me to this day. When I was still a novice cook I thought I would be fancy and use the cheesy hash brown patties, but they mysteriously disappeared from store shelves. That turned out to be a good thing because now I make my own potatoes and they are so good they make me feel better about eating hot dogs. :)

Throw your favorite hot dogs on the grill, in the microwave, or in a pot of water to cook. Grab your favorite can of baked beans, we like Bush's, especially their new Grillin' Beans, and heat them in a pot. But first make these potatoes:

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1 - 1 lb. bag diced potatoes (refrigerated not frozen)
1 white onion, diced
6 tbsp. butter, divided
1 tbsp. steak seasonings

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter and saute onion until golden. Transfer onion to a dish, set aside. In the same skillet over medium heat, melt the remaining 4 tbsp. butter. Then add in potatoes and steak seasoning; use spatula to mix well. Press potatoes into pan, cover, and cook for 7-8 minutes. Flip potatoes over, press into pan, cover and cook another 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked onions.
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I got the tip to cook the onions alone from America's Test Kitchen, although I can't remember exactly why they suggest cooking them separate from the potatoes. Something about better flavor for both parties. Tonight I was in a hurry so I cooked the onions in a small skillet while the potatoes cooked in a large one. These potatoes are also excellent with eggs and sausage for breakfast.

We went to the library today and I checked out Barefoot Contessa: Back To Basics and Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook (which is not really a handbook, it's big and heavy and could be used to bean someone over the head). I love Ina Garten; I have her At Home cookbook, it is wonderful. And I thought it might be useful to learn more about baking and I like Martha's recipes, so her book got added to the pile too. I'll let you know if I find anything exciting in them!

Happy eating!