Full day: everything you need to know to prepare them well at home

Although in the name of the complete the most unusual ingredients have been piled on a bun and a sausage, the truth is that when it comes to the hot dog Chilean there is a well-known nomenclature, which we could even call “national canon”, also quite related to that of our traditional sandwich shop.

Let me explain: we all know that the sausage inside the bread, and only with mayonnaise, is called Special. We also know that the association avocado, tomato and mayonnaise corresponds to Italian. And the Blessed Complete is sausage plus tomato, American and mayonnaise, although in some places it also has sauerkraut and even green sauce. And the Dynamic? A full plus of avocado.

We all more or less agree on that. Nothing else? By eating one of these delicacies, the diner will know whether to add mustard, red pepper or a little of each. Ketchup? Please, as a good friend would say: it’s for the fries. Next, we step through the fundamental elements of our suit and its derivatives.

Beyond personal taste, what’s needed in a wholemeal loaf is that it’s long enough to comfortably accommodate the sausage and hopefully there’s a little space left at each end, thinking the containment of its ingredients. Then comes the texture element, because beyond the obvious —that the bread resists the humidity of the sausage and all the rest—, it must not be so rigid that it breaks at the first chewing.

Personally, to prepare my complete I prefer bread in a bag, slightly soft. But be careful, it is also essential not to overdo it when you heat it. The idea is to leave it warm but without browning, so that it retains its elasticity. One key: heat it for a few minutes on each side with the sausage inside – already cooked, of course – and that’s it.

Or Viennese, whatever they mean. The most important issue here is that the flavor of the sausage cannot stand above or eclipse the other products that will be brought upstairs. So, my recommendation is to look for the sausage that you like the most, but still down the line with those that have a milder flavor. In other words, leave those with very smoky or even spicy touches for other preparations.

Once the sausage is chosen, another important thing comes: how to cook it. To enhance its flavor (but without making it excessive) and especially its texture, it is best to cook it directly in a pan, with a little oil. This way it will lose liquid and brown slightly, being ready to go into the bread and withstand whatever comes next.

Here the thing is serious and does not authorize rereadings: if one wants to eat a good meal, one must favor homemade mayonnaise, to the detriment of industrial perennials. The key to a complete is that the mayonnaise—always placed on top of everything—covers with its smoothness the amalgam of ingredients that lies between it and the sausage. In addition, a good homemade sauce must always be salty, so as not to have to season other products concerned, such as avocado or tomato. In fact, if someone tastes a fill-up and immediately adds salt to it, that means something has not been done right.

An industrial mayonnaise if there was no other choice? Generally any – they’re all weak and acidic – but hopefully the ones that come in doypack or bag-like containers. They tend to have a creamier consistency than jarred mayonnaises that often look like jelly.

Homemade mayonnaise

-1 egg

—1 cup marigold oil

-Salt

Crack the egg into the glass of a blender. Add a good dose of salt then pour the oil right there. Introduce the minipimer at the bottom and mix, without letting it rise, until the mixture of ingredients takes on the desired consistency of mayonnaise. If you want, you can add a few drops of lemon juice at the end and stir.

We are no longer in tomato season. However, this vegetable is available all year round for a complete food. Also, since they are very small cubes, it is not so noticeable if they are not very firm or with little taste.

For all this, the main thing here is always to peel them and then chop them very finely, passing them over with a knife, then set them aside in a bowl with all their juice. You don’t need to add any salt or oil, just store them in a cool place – not refrigerated – until you are ready to assemble them. A good choice of tomatoes for these winter months are shelf stable tomatoes, which can be found in any major supermarket.

It’s true, the price of avocado is exploding. But if what you want is to eat an Italian, it’s a must. Does any lawyer serve? In my opinion, the Negra de La Cruz —also called the national— is not the most suitable, but if the Hass is too expensive, you can use varieties such as Fuerte or Edrarol, which are available on the market. these months. They could even be used mixed with the Hass.

The rest? Just mash with a fork and you’re done, no salt, oil or lemon juice. It’s other times and other lawyers. If it becomes extremely necessary to kick the avocado, a little secret: mix it —or “kick it”, as some say—with a little mayonnaise (no more than 15% of the total volume of ground avocado) and stir until it is not advised for nothing. Of these ready, frozen or substitute avocados, it is better not to mention them.

For the suit to be really complete, it is also necessary to put American sauce on it. What is this sauce about? From a mixture of pickled vegetables, very finely chopped. Usually they have pickles, onions, and carrots, along with salt and vinegar. And, also in general, in sandwich shops, American sauces of industrial production of various brands are usually used. What does the “American” bring? A moderately resistant but pleasant texture, plus the acidity of the vinegar which goes very well with everything else. Any connoisseur of suits knows that mayonnaise and American sauce together will never be defeated.

With this ingredient, there is no unanimity, because in some places the complete sauce, in addition to the American sauce, also contains sauerkraut, which is essentially finely cut cabbage fermented in salt.

For years, local sandwich shops — and also people at home — used sauerkraut of industrial origin, in which, ultimately, the predominant ingredient was vinegar, which was added once fermentation had begun. Fortunately, in the last five years or so, sandwich shops have started making their own sauerkraut and also small artisan producers who produce this and other pickles and fermented foods, very fashionable these days, and without the need for vinegar.

So, if you are preparing a whole sauerkraut at home, look for a quality one in the market, because it will surely make the difference by providing slightly sweet tones instead of pure and hard vinegar.

In some traditional places, and others less so, it is also customary to add green sauce to the mix. That is, finely chopped onion and coriander (or parsley), plus a touch of salt, neutral oil and a few drops of lemon juice. This is, for many, the mark of complete truth.

From then on, what can be put on – or added to – a suit does not seem to stop. From melted cheese to green chili, fried onions, eggs and even sautéed mushrooms. But of course, the canon is the canon, and for some reason it’s the one we keep reproducing – in all its versions – in our homes. Especially today, the day of the complete.

*Product prices for this item are current as of May 24, 2022. Values ​​and availability may change.