Senator Larry Craig's "Super Tuber"

In the course of human events, there are moments — moments where a recipe comes along that so clearly aligns with the personality of its creator that I stare in disbelief. Nixon’s Ham Mousse was one of those moments — pale, shiny, monstrous. Senator Larry Craig’s hot dog shoved through a potato, the Super Tuber, is undoubtedly one of these historic moments, too.

Chef Larry Craig

Republican Senator from Idaho

Notable:

you know…

Quotable:

“I am not gay.”

As always, I followed the recipe word for word directly from the man with a wide stance, no alterations:

INGREDIENTS

1 Idaho potato

1 hot dog

Shortening

mustard for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Wash and dry potato. Rub with shortening.

I know what you’re thinking — you want me to rub shortening all over this potato…BEFORE I attempt to cut a hole straight through its center? Of course I don’t want that. But Larry Craig does.

2) With an apple corer or small knife, core out the potato center (end to end).

I don’t have an apple corer, and a small knife got me 1/3 of the way there. After that I used the end of a slotted spoon, and then finally, the rounded end of a whisk in order to create a hole big enough to slip a dog into it.

3) Push hot dog through the center.

No comment.

4) Microwave four minutes or until potato is cooked through. Allow potato to cool slightly. Eat as a finger food, dipping in your favorite hot dog condiment of choice (Larry’s was mustard).

Yes, microwaving was the #1 method from Senator Larry Craig. After all that work, four minutes in a microwave so you don’t have to wait long to wrap your lips around this super tuber.

Voila! If you want to actually watch me attempt to eat it, go to the Cookin’ with Congress Instagram or TikTok. My god, look at this delightfully dry, fully cooked tuber. Four minutes in the microwave will do that. At least there will be dipping mustard served alongside for a little color and moisture; as you can see, the dog has been dehydrated and the potato, while still a tiny bit greasy from the shortening, is not slick. I suggest waiting to dive in until it has cooled for 5-10 minutes. While it looks like a fork and knife job, Senator Craig prefers it to be a hand job, telling us to eat it like finger food. And thus, I do.

Verdict:

The fact that I put myself on video eating this sensuous-yet-dry food makes me wonder who the real criminal is here…it’s really not a bad combination. If it was deep fried and I sounded the hot dog with a cheese stick, this could be a great carnival snack.