"Sweet and Spicy Pigs in a Blanket with a Spicy Cheese dip

By RoketJSquerl

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1.5 lbs of small cocktail sausages (I used Smokies)
• 3 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I used a heaped tsp because we love spicy!)
• 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 lb crescent roll sheet (2 sheets)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten (for the egg wash)
• 8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese or Monterrey Jack
• 1/2 habanero, deseeded
• Alternatively, you can use pepper jack cheese or habanero cheese (which is what I used)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 can of evaporated milk
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp spicy mustard
• Salt and pepper

Details

Servings 54
Adapted from theflavorbender.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet, over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, fry the sausages in the pan until they are heated through, and some caramelization starts to occur.
Add the sugar, tomato ketchup, cayenne pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Mix with the sausages until they are coated with the mix and fry them for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the sausages completely (as seen in the pictures).
Remove from the heat and let them cool down to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place one crescent dough sheet on a lightly floured surface.
Cut 1 inch-wide strips using a pizza cutter or knife. Cut each strip to 3 - 4 pieces (depending on how thick your cocktail sausages are).
Wrap each mini sausage with a strip of the crescent dough, and pinch the edges to seal.
Place the wrapped sausages on a parchment paper lined baking tray.
Brush each of them with an egg wash, and bake in preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes, until the crescent dough is golden brown (please see note about using puff pastry in place of crescent dough).
Remove from the oven once baked, let them cool down for a few minutes. Serve warm, or at room temperature, with dipping sauces. Habanero Cheese Dip
Grate the cheese using the large holes of a box grater (or equivalent). Toss the cheese with the cornstarch, until they are mixed well.
In a saucepan, combine the cornstarch coated cheese, evaporated milk, cayenne pepper, and mustard. Heat over medium-low heat to gently heat the milk-cheese mix. Mix gently, and frequently until the cheese has completely melted and you have a smooth, thick cheese sauce. You can add more evaporated milk (or cream) to thin out the sauce if you like (I added a few tbsp of cream to the cheese sauce every time I wanted to heat it up again).
Season with salt if needed.
Serve warm with the spicy and sweet pigs in a blanket.

Method