91-year-old chops up potatoes and hot dogs to share recipe from 1930 (2024)

The video was filmed in 2007 and Clara, sadly, passed away in 2013, but her YouTube Channel on Great Depression cooking remains a fascinating and popular source for recipes (and stories!) from hard times.

A sprightly 91-years-old when it was filmed, her video on making the “Poorman’s Meal” has now been enhanced and reposted – and it has regained millions of viewers in just a year!

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Depression-era cooking

As you can imagine, people needed to get pretty creative during the Great Depression when it came to making meals in a time of scarcity.

Not only was unemployment high (and therefore income low – or nothing at all), food shortages around the country left many without meat, milk, and even some pantry staples.

Anyone who has been suffering as a result of the pandemic and the economic downturn it exacerbated understands all too well.

In fact:

“During the height of the pandemic, The New York Times reported empty shelves across the country and the inability of grocers to keep staple pantry items and fresh produce in stock. Essentials such as beans, rice, pasta, and peanut butter became hot commodities. Hot dog sales also spiked. Thanks to modern food shortages — and farmers being forced to destroy food — pared-down cooking habits are once again being embraced. Home cooks are turning to Depression-era foods made with affordable and shelf-stable ingredients to feed the whole family.”

The Poorman’s Meal

Depression-era cooks had no qualms about calling some of their dishes exactly what they were (or what they felt like while making them), hence the very real name “The Poorman’s Meal.”

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Clara even shares that her family was so poor during this time that she had to quit high school because she couldn’t afford socks! (Just tell your teens to remember that every time they slip on flip-flops and head off to class.)

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The meal consists of hearty foods that were easy to come by at the time – at least for Clara’s family: hot dogs, potatoes, and onions.

You’re going to get some memories throughout her video recipe which make it all the more interesting to watch – and let’s just say some of them involve potatoes, but you’ll want to wait to hear the one about the neighbor trying to “shop in her garden.”

The recipe:

Her ingredients include:

  • 4 medium-large golden potatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 3 hot dogs
  • 2-3 tablespoons of tomato sauce (or other sauce, to taste)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup of water

You’ll just need a knife and cutting board as well as a spatula and frying pan for this.

1. First, start by peeling your potatoes.

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2. Next, cube them into pretty small pieces (this will help you spot any brown sections that you might want to throw away). You can also hold the potato and shred it into smaller pieces as Clara does, but that’s up to you.

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3. At some point, the stealthy Clara has chopped up an onion as well (by halving it and slicing, it appears). She adds it to the potatoes in a frying pan.

4. Once Clara has the potatoes in the unheated pan, she pours in some vegetable oil. (An amount we would consider “a lot,” and that looks like at least 1/4 cup.) If you’re using a healthier oil and have cooked in a frying pan in the past (especially if you have a non-stick skillet), you may want to add what you consider a more reasonable amount of your chosen oil (and more along the way if your food starts to stick).

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Of course, olive oil wasn’t being imported yet in Clara’s day and butter was expensive, so an authentic dish would have included a cheaper oil.

5. Now it’s time to fry your oil, onions, and potatoes.

6. Set the stovetop burner to medium or medium-high and begins to stir as everything cooks.

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At this point, expect human instincts to kick in even if you don’t enjoy onions or hot dogs because they just happen to smell really good while they cook! Clara says this is when all the boys come to her yard – her grandson’s friends love to come over for this meal.

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7. While the meal fries, get out your cutting board and start slicing the hot dogs. Clara slices them pretty thin (and hers appear to have come from the freezer), but this is all up to you.

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As you likely know, hot dogs a pre-cooked, so they really just need to be warmed up by the pan to be ready, meaning you can add them later in your cooking.

8. If your potatoes and onions aren’t getting a golden brown color after about 5 minutes, you may want to turn up the heat. You should hear them sizzling.

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9. Now, stir in a few tablespoons of your chosen sauce. Clara appears to have a bottle of pasta sauce, but a plain tomato sauce would do (as would ketchup, if that’s your thing). She doesn’t measure, but simply uses a spoon.

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10. Finally, she adds her hot dogs and stirs everything in the pan around so that the food is evenly distributed.

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11. The last step is to add about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water to soften up the potatoes if need be. In that case, you’ll need to keep frying until the water is absorbed. Otherwise, your dish is ready when the hot dogs are warmed through.

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12. Now simply plate your meal and enjoy!

Be sure to scroll down below for Clara’s charming video recipe. She’ll walk you through the steps along with some stories.

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Jessica is a writer at Shareably.

91-year-old chops up potatoes and hot dogs to share recipe from 1930 (2024)

FAQs

What animal does hot dogs come from? ›

Pork and beef are the traditional meats used in hot dogs. Less expensive hot dogs are often made from chicken or turkey, using low-cost mechanically separated poultry.

What was the original name of the hot dog? ›

In fact, even Germans called the frankfurter a "little-dog" or "dachshund" sausage, thus linking the word "dog" to their popular concoction.

How long to cook old fashioned hot dogs? ›

Hot dogs should be boiled for around four to six minutes. But if the hot dog is frozen, it should be boiled for nine to 10 minutes. You can choose to boil your hot dog in water or beer, depending on your preference.

How old are hot dogs? ›

In fact, two German towns vie to be the original birthplace of the modern hot dog. Frankfurt claims the frankfurter was invented there over 500 years ago, in 1484, eight years before Columbus set sail for America. But the people of Vienna (Wien, in German) say they are the true originators of the “wienerwurst.”

Is there horse meat in hot dogs? ›

Hot dogs are made from the emulsified meat trimmings of chicken, beef, or pork. This meat mixture is blended with other ingredients (like preservatives, spices, and coloring) into a batter-like substance.

Are there earthworms in hotdogs? ›

Erythorbate is a perfectly safe substance and has absolutely nothing to do with earthworms. It makes a lot more sense to minimize hot dog and baloney consumption because of their high fat and salt content than because they contain sodium erythorbate.

What is the oldest hot dog brand? ›

First established in 1867 by Charles Feltman upon introducing the world's first hot dog to Coney Island beachgoers, Feltman's of Coney Island today endures as a symbol of American tradition, serving only the highest-quality uncured all-natural beef hot dogs inspired by Charles Feltman's old-world Frankfurter sausage ...

Why is a hotdog called a glizzy? ›

With roots in the rap world, a glizzy is slang for a Glock handgun. The evolution of the word to include hotdog. comes from the extended magazine of a pistol, which is about the length of a hotdog.

What did Mcdonalds call their hot dogs? ›

Some customers called them “too spicy, expensive and unappetizing,” according to Business Insider. McDonald's introduced the McHot Dog in 1995 at certain locations. Customers weren't so hot on them, and they were later removed from menus in the U.S.

Is it better to boil or grill hot dogs? ›

Boiling the heck out of a hot dog before grilling is just wrong, but giving it a little moisture bath isn't a bad idea for several reasons. “We always suggest simmering hot dogs in water for roughly 3 to 5 minutes before grilling," said Elias Cairo, owner and meat master salumist of Olympia Provisions.

How do hot dog vendors cook their hotdogs? ›

Street hot dogs are boiled. This works for two reasons: it's both low-effort and impossible to screw up. However, to avoid overcooking, street dogs are stored in less-than boiling water. In the biz, this is known as “hot holding.” This is an easy way to keep food ready-to-serve over a long period of time.

What is a nickname for a hot dog? ›

hot dog
  • dog.
  • footlong.
  • frank.
  • Georgia hot.
  • pigs in a blanket.
  • redhot.
  • weenie.
  • wiener.

How many hot dogs a year can you eat? ›

There's no specific number, but try to think of a traditional hot dog as a “once in a while” food instead of an “everyday” food.

Are hot dogs healthy? ›

Traditional hot dogs, packed with sodium, fat and nitrates, are very unhealthy. As summer begins to wind down, many of us are working to make the most of every cookout and barbecue before the chill of fall. Enter hot dogs, an admittedly delicious staple of summertime that's — not that good for us.

Are hot dogs from pigs or cows? ›

The main ingredient in hot dogs is meat, and that can be beef, pork, or poultry (typically chicken, but some are made with turkey).

Are hot dogs beef or pig? ›

Hot dogs were originally made with animal intestines, but times have changed: The main ingredient used nowadays is primarily the muscles of beef, pork, chicken, or turkey, or a combination of meat and poultry. Other common ingredients are: Sugar: To promote browning and a hint of sweetness.

What kind of dogs are hot dogs? ›

A dachshund has a long, narrow body, so it is sometimes called a wiener dog, hot dog, or sausage dog.

What are hot dogs made of now? ›

Some hot dogs are made of only three ingredients: beef trimmings, salt, and seasonings. However, many hot dogs can also contain fillers, preservatives, and other artificial additives.

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