Indy's Pittsburgh Cassoulet

I got this recipe from my friend, Harrison "Indy" Turner, who came to visit nearly three years ago. Right before leaving, he handed me a tiny piece of paper with the recipe on it. I stuffed the paper into my coat pocket, where it sat until last March, when I suddenly remembered its existence and rediscovered it. In true Indy style, the recipe is deliciously vague, with such gems as "<1 pound of hot dogs" and "large can o' baked beans." As such, I've done some interpretation, as well as elevating the technique (slightly) beyond "mix ingredients in dish; bake 40-45 min at 350° F."

I do not know whether the recipe is an old family secret or Indy's own concoction; both seem rather plausible. In any case, the use of chopped hot dogs certainly appeals to my Midwestern sensibilities. We regularly added them to boxed mac and cheese or ramen for a quick meal when I was a kid. The basic formula of a bean and sausage casserole is also quite close to my heart as a big fan of cassoulet. It is this resemblance that led me to dub this dish "Pittsburgh Cassoulet." The original recipe did not specify what type of mustard. Since hot dogs are featured, I went with yellow mustard. Going along with the theme, both the ketchup and mustard were Heinz.

The original recipe

Ingredients

• 6 hot dogs, sliced into discs
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 lb canned baked beans (2 standard sized cans)
• 10 oz canned pineapple chunks, drained (1/2 standard can)
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs ketchup
• 2 tsp yellow mustard (or more to taste)
• Olive oil
• Black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a dutch oven or heavy saute pan, cook the hot dogs and onion with a splash of olive oil until hot dogs are lightly browned and onions are softened. 

Add the beans, pineapple, brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard. Mix well and transfer to the oven. 

Bake for 45 minutes. Add black pepper to taste.