We’ve got an important question about hot dogs for you. No, not whether they are sandwiches, tacos, or neither, but rather — why doesn’t NOVA have its own signature frankfurter? Sure, DC is home to the half-smoke, loaded with onions and chili sauce, but we’re looking for something that Northern Virginia can call our own.

So without further ado — we know you’ve got barbecues to get to — NOVAtoday presents our NOVA-style hot dog, aka the “Sweet and Salty SuperNOVA.”

Ingredients:

Baguette, preferably sourced from your favorite local Vietnamese spot, like Banh Mi DC in Falls Church
A half-smoke sausage
Virginia ham
Apple butter from the Shenandoah Valley
Virginia-grown peanuts

First things first. We’re taking a page from NOVA’s Vietnamese cuisine with a baguette bun, reminiscent of a classic banh mi. We couldn’t help but take a page from DC, too, and include a half-smoke sausage as our base – but don’t worry, we’re straying from their dog after that.

For a sweet and salty twist, we’re adding slices of Virginia ham, a slather of apple butter made in the Shenandoah Valley, and a sprinkle of Virginia-grown peanuts. We’re all about keeping things hyperlocal, and that includes our ingredients. Don’t knock it till you try it.

While we think this weiner is perfect as is, add an extra mid-Atlantic touch with a fresh steamed Chesapeake Bay oyster on top — or eat it before as a frankfurter d'oeuvre.