Phyllo Fido

Wieners Gone Wild! P. 145

1 (1-pound) box frozen phyllo dough (thawed according to package directions)

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons, melted

4 hot dogs, butterflied and cut in half crosswise

1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach

4 ounces feta cheese

4 ounces pine nuts, toasted

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch scallions (white and light green parts only), chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Freshly ground black pepper

So you cut them like 3/4 of the way through the long way, then all the way through the short way.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Prepare a stack of 10 sheets of phyllo dough, brushed with 4 ounces of the melted butter as directed on the package. Cut the stack in half crosswise, making two equal stacks.

Put 1 split hot dog half on each, then repeat so you have 8 stacks.

It took me several read-throughs to figure out what I was supposed to do, but I finally got it.

Evenly divide the spinach, feta, pine nuts, garlic, and scallions among the stacks, placing an even amount on top of each dog half. Sprinkle each serving with oregano and black pepper to taste.

Fold each stack of phyllo into a rectangle, ends first, to seal in the contents. Place each rectangle seam-side down on a cookie sheet and brush each with the reserved 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

They look (but do not taste) like little Greek burritos.

Place the phyllo packets on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet and bake them for 20 minutes or until browned. 

Done! Crisp and flaky!

My Rating: 3/5 "I was really not sure how to handle this. There's too much phyllo, so it's really cumbersome to eat, and although the filling is great it really doesn't make sense with a hot dog inside. I actually liked these better as leftovers because they were softer and easier to handle after being microwaved. That said, I'm all for leaving hot dogs out of my Greek food next time."