These grilled French Hot Dogs — or Hot-Dog à la Française — are a modern street food you'll spot in boulangeries and train stations all over France. We use a crusty baguette, melted raclette cheese, Dijon mustard, and a grilled sausage, all layered together into one irresistible bite. With just 4 ingredients and almost no prep, you might end up liking these more than the traditional version.
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Ingredients
- Baguette – Buy a demi baguette and use a very fresh one. If yours is a couple of days old and the crust has hardened, wrap it in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10 seconds. This softens it and makes it much easier to bite into.
- Mustard – We're using Dijon mustard for its sharp, tangy bite, which balances the richness of the cheese.
- Hot Dogs – I used uncured beef hot dogs for a cleaner flavor, but any good-quality all-beef hot dog will work.
- Cheese – Raclette is a great choice because it's very melty with a creamy, savory profile that coats the sausage perfectly.
How to Make French Hot Dogs
- Cut the baguette into 2 sausage-sized pieces, then split each piece open lengthwise. Use a small knife to scoop out a bit of the soft interior from each half, creating a shallow groove for the sausage.
- Spread about 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard inside each baguette piece.
- Preheat the grill and lightly brush the grates with cooking spray. Place the sausages on the grill and cook for 3–4 minutes, flipping halfway, until grill marks appear and the internal temperature reads 165°F.
- Place the sausages in the hollowed baguette pieces, top with cheese, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Broil for 2–3 minutes until the cheese melts. Alternatively, return the hot dogs to the grill and cook a few more minutes until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.
- Serve immediately topped with ketchup or your favorite condiments.
Recipe Variations
If you want to take this recipe up a notch, here are a few enhancements that would work great in these French Hot Dogs:
- Caramelized onions — a staple in French onion soup, they add a subtle sweetness to the hot dogs.
- Crispy onions — a common topping in French hot dogs, either store-bought or homemade by tossing thinly sliced onions in cornstarch and frying until golden.
- Pickles — relish or sliced pickles add a nice tangy contrast.
- Slaw — adds crunch and freshness alongside the rich cheese and sausage.
Serving Suggestions
These French Hot Dogs taste even better paired with a colorful vegetable salad, like Pear Arugula Salad or Shepherd's Salad.
For a heartier side, try White Bean Salad With Roasted Bell Peppers or Radicchio Salad.
To round out the meal with a French-inspired dessert, go with French Yogurt Peach Cake. It’s great for using up ripe peaches. You can also try Blueberry Clafoutis, which comes together right in a blender.
Make-Ahead and Storage
These Hot-Dog à la Française cook up really fast. However, if you want to prepare part of the recipe ahead of time, you can do so.
First, prep the bread by cutting it into sausage-size pieces and scooping out some of the interior. I recommend doing this step the same day, just a couple of hours before you plan to grill, since the bread will quickly go stale.
Store cut baguette pieces in a paper bag, then tuck that inside a plastic bag. This helps slow moisture loss so the bread doesn't dry out.
Raclette or Gruyère cheese isn't usually sold pre-shredded, so you can shred it at home a couple of days in advance.
If you plan to serve the hot dogs with slaw, you can also make that 1–2 days ahead.
Leftovers: Store assembled hot dogs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
To reheat, preheat the oven to 350°F and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until they’re warmed through and the cheese starts to melt again.
I recommend not using the microwave for reheating because the bread will become soggy.
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Recipe
French Hot Dogs
Ingredients
- 4 beef hot dog sausages
- 1 demi baguette
- 4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ cup Raclette cheese grated
Toppings
- ketchup
- green onions
Instructions
- Cut the baguette into 2 sausage-sized pieces, then split each piece open lengthwise. Use a small knife to scoop out a bit of the soft interior from each half, creating a shallow groove for the sausage.
- Spread about 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard inside each baguette piece.
- Preheat the grill and lightly brush the grates with cooking spray. Place the sausages on the grill and cook for 3–4 minutes flipping halfway, until grill marks appear and the internal temperature reads 165°F.
- Place the sausages in the hollowed baguette pieces, top with cheese, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Broil for 2–3 minutes, until the cheese melts. Alternatively, return the hot dogs to the grill and cook a few more minutes until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.
- Serve immediately topped with ketchup or your favorite condiments.
Notes
- For this recipe, a demi-baguette (about 12 inches) works perfectly. If you have a large, full-size baguette, just use half of it and save the rest for another use.
- Also, save the bread you remove. It makes great homemade breadcrumbs!
- If you want to prepare part of the recipe ahead of time, you can do so. First, prep the bread by cutting it into sausage-size pieces and scooping out some of the interior. I recommend doing this step the same day, just a couple of hours before you plan to grill, since the bread will quickly go stale.
- Store cut baguette pieces in a paper bag, then tuck that inside a plastic bag. This helps slow moisture loss so the bread doesn't dry out.
- Raclette or Gruyère cheese isn't usually sold pre-shredded, so you can shred it at home a couple of days in advance.
- If you plan to serve the hot dogs with slaw, you can also make that 1–2 days ahead.
- Store assembled hot dogs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- To reheat, preheat the oven to 350°F and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until they’re warmed through and the cheese starts to melt again.
- I recommend not using the microwave for reheating because the bread will become soggy.
Nutrition
Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
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