Old Recipe - New Budget Meal

I don't know how this recipe slipped from my dinner repertoire for the past ten years, but tonight I reinstated it and I'm glad I did. This is a great recipe for using up leftover mashed potatoes, and a different way to serve hot dogs. If you want to cut down on the fat, sodium and additives of the hot dogs, I highly recommend using Boar's Head brand or, if you can't find those, Hebrew National low-fat beef hot dogs. But if you normally serve less expensive hotdogs, the price of the meal is very low, but very filling!

NO IDEA OF THE NAME OF THIS RECIPE HOT DOGS

8 hot dogs (2 per person, but for kids 1 should be plenty!)
3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp sweet relish
8 slices American cheese or 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Slice the hot dogs lengthwise, so you can open them up but they are not cut all the way through. Put the hot dogs on a broiler pan, cut side down, and broil for about 3 minutes or until they are hot all the way through. Remove from  under broiler, but leave broiler on.

Meanwhile, heat mashed potatoes (you can, of course, cook fresh or use instant), adding mustard and sweet relish.

Turn hot dogs over on broiler pan, so cut side is now up and hot dogs are opened flat. Spoon about 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes down the length of the hot dog. I used a Ziploc bag with the top cut off to pipe the potatoes on, but spooning on is fine. Top with either 1/2 slice of American Cheese or a good sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese.

Return to broiler, and broil until cheese is bubbling and slightly brown. (OK, mine look a little too brown, but that's the way my husband likes them, so that's how I do them!)

I served these with corn and a lettuce, onion, and craisins salad.