FROM THE FOUNDING TABLE TO YOUR KITCHEN
POTUSPLATETHE PRESIDENTIAL TABLEHISTORY IS SERVED.
Presidents/Franklin D. Roosevelt

AT THE TABLE WITH FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

The royal-picnic hot dog

The recipe is simple; the occasion is the ingredient you supply.

Lunch20 minServes 4
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The royal-picnic hot dog — a little vintage colour
A little vintage colour · Serving illustration

THE STORY ON YOUR PLATE

Simple food, even when a king came to lunch

More about Franklin D. Roosevelt →

The thirty-second president led the United States through the Depression and much of World War II.

Documented meal / preference

On 11 June 1939, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt served hot dogs at their Hyde Park picnic for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Good sausages, warm buns and mustard make that recorded dish easy to bring home.

The president & the table

Housekeeper Henrietta Nesbitt remembered Roosevelt enjoying straightforward American food, including scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, fish chowder and hot dogs. The hot dog also has a particularly public chapter: Franklin and Eleanor served it at their Hyde Park picnic for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on 11 June 1939.

Behind this story

FDR Presidential Library, Henrietta Nesbitt recollections; “The Royal Visit,” June 1939.

APRON ON. HISTORY CAN WAIT.

Make it at home.

Our home adaptation · Serves 4 · Not yet kitchen-tested

What you’ll need

Let’s make it

  1. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium. Warm the fully cooked sausages according to the package directions, turning until steaming hot with a little colour.

  2. Split buns without cutting right through. Brush with optional butter and toast cut-side down for 30–60 seconds.

  3. Tuck a hot dog into each bun. Add mustard, relish and optional onion.

  4. Serve immediately, picnic-style, with napkins and something cold to drink.

About this home version

A modern home recipe with practical ingredients and measured quantities.

Metric and US measures are approximate equivalents. For baking, use weights when you can.

STAY FOR ANOTHER COURSE

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