The cocktail frank, taken seriously for once. Little smokies blistered hard in butter, then simmered down in a glaze of toasted curry, apricot preserves, mango chutney and coconut milk until every one of them is lacquered. Sweet, warm with spice, and sharp enough at the end from lime and vinegar that you keep going back. It is a party dish that has never once been made well at a party.
6 steps, about 55 minutes start to finish.
1. Pat the franks completely dry. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high and add them in a single layer. Leave them alone until they blister and brown on one side, about 5 minutes, then roll them around for another 2 to 3 minutes. Work in two batches if the pan is crowded, and it will be crowded. Remove to a plate and leave the fat in the pan.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and chile with a pinch of the salt. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 8 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more.
3. BLOOM THE SPICES: add the curry powder, cinnamon and cayenne directly into the fat. Stir constantly for about 60 seconds until fragrant and toasty. Do not walk away. This is the step that separates this from every gloopy party crockpot, and it is also the step that scorches.
4. Stir in the apricot preserves, chutney, coconut milk, vinegar, mustard and remaining salt. Bring to a low bubble and stir until smooth and glossy, about 3 minutes.
5. Return the franks and any juices to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom, until the glaze coats every frank and a spatula leaves a trail that closes slowly.
6. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice. Let it sit 8 minutes. Taste for salt and scatter the cilantro or scallions over the top. Serve with toothpicks.
“Heat as written is a warm build rather than a hot one. Two serranos and a full teaspoon of cayenne gets you a real kick. If you want it sweeter add two more tablespoons of apricot preserves rather than sugar, and if it goes too sweet another splash of vinegar pulls it straight back. The lime at the end is not a garnish and it is not optional: twenty minutes of simmering flattens everything out, and the lime is what stands it back up. To hold it for a party, move it to a slow cooker on warm and add a splash of water whenever it gets sticky.”
Show the Side Dish crew how it turned out, or ask a question, over in our Discord.
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