A recipe from ‘The Instant Air Fryer Bible’ for a hot dog Reuben

Here’s a whimsical take on a classic deli sandwich, made with hot dogs rather than the more standard corned beef, from our cookbook “The Instant Air Fryer Bible.”

Any hot dog will do — beef, pork, turkey even vegan hot dogs — although the best results are had with more standard, backyard-barbecue dogs, rather than fancier varieties.

You probably never thought you’d be making sandwiches in an air fryer when you bought the machine. You thought you’d be making French fries, sure. You might have thought you’d be making crunchy sides like steak fries. You might even have thought about crispy fish sticks. But sandwiches?

Yep! The air fryer can toast bread evenly and quickly, giving even classic deli sandwiches a delectable crust without burning or melting the ingredients inside.

Change up this recipe by substituting drained kimchi for the sauerkraut, swapping out the Swiss for Gruyère or Comté, and/or substituting thin, link-like brats for the hot dogs.

Hot Dog Reuben

Makes 2 Hot Dog Reubens

Ingredients

Four 1-1/2-ounce hot dogs

4 slices of rye bread

Olive oil spray

1/4 cup Russian dressing

2/3 cup squeezed-dry purchased sauerkraut

Four 1-ounce slices of Swiss Cheese

Directions

1. Set the machine to air fry. Set the temperature to 400°F and the time to 20 minutes (which will be a little more than you need). Press start.

2. When the machine beeps, indicates ADD FOOD, or is heated to the proper temperature, set the hot dogs in a single layer in the basket or on the tray. Because you’re working with only two sandwiches, you’ll only need one tray in toaster-oven style machines. Set it in the middle rack.

3. Air-fry undisturbed until hot and sizzling, about 4 minutes. Use nonstick-safe kitchen tongs to transfer the hot dogs to a cutting board. Keep the machine going. Split the (hot!) hot dogs in half lengthwise.

4. Generously coat one side of each slice of bread with olive oil spray. Set two slices oiled side down on a cutting board. Top each with an even coating of 2 tablespoons of dressing, four hot dog halves, half of the sauerkraut and two slices of cheese. Smear the remaining dressing over the not-oiled side of the remaining two slices of bread, then set them oiled side up on top of the sandwiches.

5. Use a nonstick-safe spatula to transfer the sandwiches to the air fryer. Use separate trays or work in batches as necessary. Air-fry, turning once after 4 minutes but otherwise ignoring any TURN FOOD indicator, until golden brown and visibly crunchy at the edges, about 7 minutes.

6. Turn off the machine and use that same spatula to transfer the (hot and messy!) sandwiches to a fine-mesh wire rack to cool for a couple of minutes. Have plenty of napkins on hand.

___

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough are the authors of “Cold Canning” and more than 35 other cookbooks, including “The Instant Pot Bible” series. They live in rural Connecticut.

Excerpted from “The Instant Air Fryer Bible” by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. Copyright (copyright) 2022 by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.