Pretzel Pigs in Blankets

100% worth the effort to boil and egg-wash them before baking.

For New Years' Eve, I like to make party appetizers for just our family dinner. This year, we had cold veggie pizza (on crescent dough with sour cream and cream cheese) and pigs in blankets, which are one of the few items that I like.

I've made them before and I know I prefer them with pizza dough. But when I searched online to remember how long to bake them, I noticed a trend. There were many mediocrely-reviewed recipes that involved just wrapping and baking, as I had previously done. And then there were some really well-rated recipes that involved an extra step of boiling them before baking. Like bagels, if you live in a place where bagel stores serve actual boiled bagels instead of rolls with a hole in the center.

So, I worked from this recipe and it was just right. I mean, look at them! I was also armed with extra-special malden salt (my new love) and good local mustard. Success.

The Recipe:

1 package (about 35) beef mini smokies

1 pizza dough

1/4 c baking soda

1 egg

sea salt

Wrap dough around each smoky (smokie?), being sure to create a good seal so it won't come undone in the water.
Boil a large pot of water, and add baking soda.
Boil each wrapped smoky for about 30 seconds, in batches of about 6, and then transfer to baking sheets (two large ones).
Beat the egg with 1 tsp water in a bowl to create egg wash.
Brush egg wash over the tops and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

The Verdict:

Overall grade: B+

Overall reason: Delicious. Not healthy.

Time to prepare: 45 minutes

Husband quote: He was too busy devouring them to say anything, but he was pretty excited that there was meat in the house.

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