The Family-Style Way The Rolling Stones Eat Hot Dogs

Hot dogs are a must-have party food, especially when it comes to cookouts. You can drizzle them in ketchup, stack them with chili and onions, or even use coleslaw as a hot dog topping. But if you are having a large gathering, you may want to opt for something that can feed a crowd without the hassle of individual assembly — and this preparation is approved by The Rolling Stones themselves. According to the recipe from the "Singers & Swingers in the Kitchen" cookbook — a 1967 collection of famous musicians' recipes by Roberta Ashley — it's enough to "serve five Stones" (via Open Culture).

Even though these boys are British, the inspiration for their Hot Dogs on the Rocks recipe comes from their love of American food, though the family-style way The Rolling Stones eat their hot dogs is a bit of an odd one. When a group of Brits gives their take on American cuisine, you end up with a towering pile of hot dogs, mashed potatoes, and baked beans. Now, there's no real telling just how often the band actually ate their Hot Dogs on the Rocks, but it's probably safe to assume that the filling but simple meal came from those long nights on tour.

It is simple to whip up this famous (at least by relation to the band) recipe at your next gathering. Skip individually cooking up your main course of hot dogs and sides of baked beans and mashed potatoes. Instead, make your job easier and serve all these staple cookout foods on one plate.

You're going to start the Hot Dogs on the Rocks recipe with the potatoes. For this part, you can use instant mashed potatoes or make them from scratch by mashing boiled potatoes with butter and milk. After your potatoes are prepared, move on to the hot dogs. Pick up a pack of high-quality hot dogs from the grocery store and cook them as instructed on the package, and then heat your baked beans. 

Finally, serve this dish by adding a helping of mashed potatoes onto each plate, spooning baked beans around the potatoes, and then topping it all with sliced franks, or just keep it family-style by piling it all onto a large platter. It makes sense why a band as busy as The Rolling Stones would chow down on such a recipe. When we're in a time pinch and cooking for a large group, we can see why they love it so much, too.